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[British Monsoon]

Some gifs from RAW...

Cena's heel turn;

Big E with the kick-ass Samoa Joe Uranage out of the corner spot;

Orton & Sheamus don't quite know what to make of the crowd;

JBL! JBL! JBL!

Faaaaaaahn-daaaaahn-goooooooooo;

 

[El Pescado]

There were also WE WANT PRETZELS and PRET-ZEL GUY during the commercial breaks.

We were so. fucking. bored. during the Sheamus/Orton match, I cannot emphasize that enough.

No one wanted to see Sheamus/Orton. There was an audible groan from my section when the match was announced.

 

[Snaku]

Good stuff. Would like a gif of barely living Fandango saying his name.

 

[Kaladin]

If only this wasn't as good as it gets and the crowd was this hot/show was this good every week.

 

[Mr. Sam]

Can't we just have Raw in New Jersey every week?

 

[BillRiccio]

Raw was amazing last night!!!!! You guys watched the show so I'll just say afterwards John Cena said this was the most fun he's had in a ring in a long time, then he laid the belt down in the ring and crowned the crowd WWE Champion. The FANDANGO theme then played and a huge dance party broke out. Outside the arena everyone continued singing and dancing. In the bars everyone wad singing and dancing. I said it last year but if you can go to Wrestle Mania weekend it is the most fun you'll have all year. Can't wait for next year!

 

[El Pescado]

I gotta say, I know we were chanting everything we could thing of during that Boreton/Sheamus match, but whichever section was trying to pull that Chris Benoit chant were jerks. I was having a blast, but I'm not chanting for a guy who committed a double murder/suicide no matter how good a wrestler he was.

 

[Vestal]

Great RAW last night. Part of me was hoping for Punk to run in during the Taker/Shield promo or have Ryback take out Henry before the Cena match and have Punk come out, the crowd in either instance would have exploded. But I see why they held Punk back.

1. He needs to lick his wounds and probably take some time off because of nagging injuries.
2. I don't think Punk would have been able to control the crowd from Cheering the living hell out of him, and he is the only "real" heel left in the company right now.

Brothers of Destruction + Goat = MONEY. Thankfully they will have a nice program there, but eventually I want to see Bryan solo and go after Ziggs.


However which leaves the question as to what to do with Punk if he is going to be around for the next few months. If he is, I just don't see what he can be doing with the current talent? There is no one on the roster who could possibly go against punk in the immediate future unless they want to turn Brock, or maybe throw HHH at him..

So what do they do with The Punk?

 

[Ondore]

The eventual Best of Raw and SmackDown 2013 Blu should feature this episode in its entirety.

Or the WM29 BluRay.

 

[MetatronM]

There were also WE WANT PRETZELS and PRET-ZEL GUY during the commercial breaks.

The best part of this was when one guy actually got a pretzel and held it up and got a huge pop.

The bus back to Secaucus Junction last night was ridiculous. The back half of the bus was mostly English and Irish dudes having a grand old time, jumping, dancing, chanting, singing, FAAAAAAAAN-DAAAAAAAN-GOOOOOOOOOOing, and so on. Also sang Jack Swagger's theme music, which in retrospect I wish we would have done on the show.

 

[El Pescado]

Between Raw and Wrestlemania I have completely lost my voice from screaming. My throat actually feels like it's bleeding right now.

 

[Kaladin]

Can't we just have Raw in New Jersey every week?

That wasn't New Jersey's crowd though.

 

[amodelmerol]

I still hate Fandango... but damn, his song is catchy!

*singing at work*

 

[orioto]

I just wanted to party poop a little. All those crowd reactions lately.. I think this is the worst for the WWE. Cause this is so random and changing. Typically, Fandango, who barely wrestled and had a really bad match with Jericho at Mania, is suddenly the new hot shit and will be pushed to the moon until people eventually grow bored with him.

Ryback is, let's face it, the perfect archetype of an hated wrestler with zero ring ability nor charisma.

IN those two cases, they are crazy over for a random gimmick popularity, and will disappear as fast as a meme on internet.

In the end, what last RAW showed is that the WWE totally failed at making any relevant star in the last years (Orton and Sheamus useless), and they are now totally dependent on random ponctuous fans chants.

That doesn't bode well for the product at all on the long term.

 

[RichieS99]

After reading the chants from last night am I the only one who is disappointed we didnt get a duelling Cotton Candy - Candy Floss chant?

 

[Kaladin]

I just wanted to party poop a little. All those crowd reactions lately.. I think this is the worst for the WWE. Cause this is so random and changing. Typically, Fandango, who barely wrestled and had a really bad match with Jericho at Mania, is suddenly the new hot shit and will be pushed to the moon until people eventually grow bored with him.

Ryback is, let's face it, the perfect archetype of an hated wrestler with zero ring ability nor charisma.

IN those two cases, they are crazy over for a random gimmick popularity, and will disappear as fast as a meme on internet.

In the end, what last RAW showed is that the WWE totally failed at making any relevant star in the last years (Orton and Sheamus useless), and they are now totally dependent on random ponctuous fans chants.

That doesn't bode well for the product at all on the long term.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

I just wanted to party poop a little. All those crowd reactions lately.. I think this is the worst for the WWE. Cause this is so random and changing. Typically, Fandango, who barely wrestled and had a really bad match with Jericho at Mania, is suddenly the new hot shit and will be pushed to the moon until people eventually grow bored with him.

Ryback is, let's face it, the perfect archetype of an hated wrestler with zero ring ability nor charisma.

IN those two cases, they are crazy over for a random gimmick popularity, and will disappear as fast as a meme on internet.

In the end, what last RAW showed is that the WWE totally failed at making any relevant star in the last years (Orton and Sheamus useless), and they are now totally dependent on random ponctuous fans chants.

That doesn't bode well for the product at all on the long term.

ehhh I think you're overthinking it. Next week there'll be less hype, and less hype, until it boils back to medium - but an insane crowd is always infectious and fun. Look what it did for Daniel Bryan last year.

 

[Ripclawe]

rock posted on Facebook he torn abdominal and adductor tendons from his pelvis and it looks like he just got out of surgery at UM hospital

 

[Cagey]

The best part of this was when one guy actually got a pretzel and held it up and got a huge pop.

The bus back to Secaucus Junction last night was ridiculous. The back half of the bus was mostly English and Irish dudes having a grand old time, jumping, dancing, chanting, singing, FAAAAAAAAN-DAAAAAAAN-GOOOOOOOOOOing, and so on. Also sang Jack Swagger's theme music, which in retrospect I wish we would have done on the show.

The English group was at the ROH show on Friday, not nearly as boisterous though. Then again, 50% of an ROH crowd is trying to get their own smark-laden joke chants over, so perhaps they were drowned out.

Take an angry, combustible NYC/NJ crowd, light the fuse with Cena, and then douse it with British soccer fan gasoline. Great recipe.

That wasn't New Jersey's crowd though.

If you remember the June PPV last year, or if you've attended an ROH show in Hammerstein in Manhattan, yeah. This is the local crowd. It's nothing but chanting.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

rock posted on Facebook he torn abdominal and adductor tendons from his pelvis and it looks like he just got out of surgery at UM hospital

I think there's more to the story than this, though.

 

[jmdajr]

Surprised Funkasaurs were so well accepted. So yeah faces stil get cheered, but not the super hoss kind.

 

[Kaladin]

If you remember the June PPV last year, or if you've attended an ROH show in Hammerstein in Manhattan, yeah. This is the local crowd. It's nothing but chanting.

Yeah, but it's also a Wrestlemania crowd. The same thing happened in Miami last year, just without all the random chants. That crowd was more focused in their insanity. I guarantee you the same thing will not happen again when they run that stadium next time. The smark fans who are usually the ones who stick around for Raw after Mania make that show, not the local crowds.

 

[Petrie]

Surprised Funkasaurs were so well accepted. So yeah faces stil get cheered, but not the super hoss kind.

I think people felt genuinely bad they were cut from Mania.


I need a shitty Cena avatar.

 

[Cagey]

Yeah, but it's also a Wrestlemania crowd. The same thing happened in Miami last year, just without all the random chants. That crowd was more focused in their insanity. I guarantee you the same thing will not happen again when they run that stadium next time. The smark fans who are usually the ones who stick around for Raw after Mania make that show, not the local crowds.

Yes, except when the area hosting Wrestlemania is home to a local crowd that does this on the regular.

Every ROH show I've seen in NYC is like this. Every single one.

 

[Kaladin]

Yes, except when the area hosting Wrestlemania is home to a local crowd that does this on the regular.

Every ROH show I've seen in NYC is like this. Every single one.

ROH shows, yes, but the Hammerstein's capacity is only about 1/20th of an average stadium. If you fill the rest of it with the salty out of town crowd from post-Mania, yeah....you'll get last night, but regular WWE shows run in that building will not be as crazy as they were last night again.

I'm sorry, that's just the way Raw after Mania works.

 

[El Pescado]

Surprised Funkasaurs were so well accepted. So yeah faces stil get cheered, but not the super hoss kind.

I dont know if it came across on TV, but my section was chanting "Hallelujah" for Damien Sandow.

 

[Manbig]

Haha, love the new thread title.

Hey I stole this avatar first!

I just wanted to party poop a little. All those crowd reactions lately.. I think this is the worst for the WWE. Cause this is so random and changing. Typically, Fandango, who barely wrestled and had a really bad match with Jericho at Mania, is suddenly the new hot shit and will be pushed to the moon until people eventually grow bored with him.

Ryback is, let's face it, the perfect archetype of an hated wrestler with zero ring ability nor charisma.

IN those two cases, they are crazy over for a random gimmick popularity, and will disappear as fast as a meme on internet.

In the end, what last RAW showed is that the WWE totally failed at making any relevant star in the last years (Orton and Sheamus useless), and they are now totally dependent on random ponctuous fans chants.

That doesn't bode well for the product at all on the long term.

Really? Outside of Jericho's sloppiness in the end, I thought Fandango vs Jericho was pretty good. Johnny Curtis is pretty awesome and I'm glad that the Fandango character is getting over. Good on him.

 

[Diablos54]

Every ROH show I've seen in NYC is like this. Every single one.

Big difference between ROH and WWE crowds though.

New title is the best title! DO DO, DO DO DO-DO-DO, DO-DO-DO, DO-DOOOOO DO-DO!

 

[Cagey]

ROH shows, yes, but the Hammerstein's capacity is only about 1/20th of an average stadium. If you fill the rest of it with the salty out of town crowd from post-Mania, yeah....you'll get last night, but regular WWE shows run in that building will not be as crazy as they were last night again.

I'm sorry, that's just the way Raw after Mania works.

1/7th the capacity of most arenas. I don't know what to tell ya. Unless half the crowd is flying in for a D-level PPV in the middle of June, the evidence stands against you.

Survivor Series and TLC in New York would have drawn more out-of-towners, but even then, same concept and same result (minus the inanity of a pretzel guy chant).

 

[slightconfuse]

This same type of crowd was at suvior series 2011.

Watch the big show/ Henery match. They pulled an ortan/sheamus and chanted random things.

 

[MetatronM]

Yes, except when the area hosting Wrestlemania is home to a local crowd that does this on the regular.

Every ROH show I've seen in NYC is like this. Every single one.

This was basically the NYC crowd augmented with a sizable European contingent in key locations. Your normal NYC smarkiness mixed with guys who came thousands of miles just to have a raucous good time.

The dynamic of the night was great, and they honestly booked the show almost perfectly to deal with it. The crowd entered the night downright ANGRY. Everything in the Wrestlemania highlights got booed, ESPECIALLY the main event, with the exception of anything from Punk-Taker. There was a serious bad taste left over from last night, and trotting Cena out there to take the full blast of it was the smart thing to do. Then they started righting wrongs and just doing awesome stuff. A terrific IC title match, botch and all, reversing that terrible title change from last night. Ziggler finally cashing in with the mother of all mark out moments. SHIELD coming after Undertaker and the Cousins of Destruction. Etc. By that point the wounds had largely been healed and we were in just a joyous and celebratory mood and nothing they put in front of us was going to stop that.



Also, people in my section were imitating Fandango all night (this was happening all weekend honestly, last night was just the culmination). It was like everybody showed up with the same collective idea that we enjoyed how ridiculous and goofy his gimmick was and that we were going to put him (or at least his gimmick) as over as humanly possible.

 

[atomsk]

edit: nevermind, I keep confusing arenas. I can't remember the last time I saw RAW at IZOD

 

[Host Samurai]

I bet next year Cena comes out and says "there is one thing I need to do in my career. One more goal to accomplish and overcome the odds. I MUST END THE UNDERTAKERS STREAK!!!" I can see WWE totally ruining Takers streak for Cena.

 

[MetatronM]

The real name of Fandango's theme music just makes me think of Cha-La Head-Cha-La.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

Damn I loved that Urange by Big E

 

[A Pretty Panda]

The real name of Fandango's theme music just makes me think of Cha-La Head-Cha-La.

Yeah I kept on doing that too lol

 

[Kaladin]

Is Fandango over because he's kind of a throwback to the type of gimmick you might get in the early attitude era or is it the crowd being ironic because WWE decided to debut a new guy at Mania?

 

[Beast Legacy]

I think the icing on the cake is that a lot of these post-Raw reactions are coming from fucking Vine, not Tout.

 

[British Monsoon]

Meltzer says he's been told that Shinsuke Nakamura's opponent for the Wrestling Dontaku iPPV on May 3rd will most likely be Yuji Hino! TAKA Michinoku said he'd be bringing in a new member of Suzuki-gun to challenge Nakamura for this show and it makes sense that it would be Hino as, next to Kengo Mashimo, he is one of the most impressive guys to have been trained by TAKA at the KAIENTAI Dojo. Hino's been wrestling for 10 years now and mostly works for K-DOJO & DDT, but this would be a huge deal for him, making his début for the biggest promotion in Japan on PPV and challenging for the Intercontinental Title! If you aren't familiar with him, here's some awesome matches of his that I highly recommend and a few gifs of Hino fucking fools up;

Masa Takanishi (c) vs Yuji Hino - KO-D Openweight Title - (DDT 05/04/12)
Yuji Hino (c) vs Kota Ibushi - KO-D Openweight Title - (DDT 06/24/12)
Daisuke Sekimoto (c) vs Yuji Hino - Champion of STRONGEST K Title - (K-DOJO 11/13/12)

 

[Ithil]

I just wanted to party poop a little. All those crowd reactions lately.. I think this is the worst for the WWE. Cause this is so random and changing. Typically, Fandango, who barely wrestled and had a really bad match with Jericho at Mania, is suddenly the new hot shit and will be pushed to the moon until people eventually grow bored with him.

Ryback is, let's face it, the perfect archetype of an hated wrestler with zero ring ability nor charisma.

IN those two cases, they are crazy over for a random gimmick popularity, and will disappear as fast as a meme on internet.

In the end, what last RAW showed is that the WWE totally failed at making any relevant star in the last years (Orton and Sheamus useless), and they are now totally dependent on random ponctuous fans chants.

That doesn't bode well for the product at all on the long term.

Orton IS a star, he's been a major guy since 2005 at least, and from maybe 2007-2010 he was definitely one of their top guys. He hasn't done anything from late 2011-present day, but he's still really over, just not in a smark town.

Sheamus, yeah, a failure as a top face, thoroughly. He's mildly over and all that, but not on the level a main event guy needs, he's more upper mid card.

 

[British Monsoon]

Sheamus, yeah, a failure as a top face, thoroughly. He's mildly over and all that, but not on the level a main event guy needs, he's more upper mid card.

I'd say Del Rio's more of a failure than Sheamus as a face - they really should have kept him heel and just gone ALL OUT with the rich Mexican aristocrat gimmick.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Meltzer says he's been told that Shinsuke Nakamura's opponent for the Wrestling Dontaku iPPV on May 3rd will most likely be Yuji Hino! TAKA Michinoku said he'd be bringing in a new member of Suzuki-gun to challenge Nakamura for this show and it makes sense that it would be Hino as, next to Kengo Mashimo, he is one of the most impressive guys to have been trained by TAKA at the KAIENTAI Dojo. Hino's been wrestling for 10 years now and mostly works for K-DOJO & DDT, but this would be a huge deal for him, making his début for the biggest promotion in Japan on PPV and challenging for the Intercontinental Title! If you aren't familiar with him, here's some awesome matches of his that I highly recommend and a few gifs of Hino fucking fools up;

Oh shit this is exciting! I bet they're going to burn the fucking house down. It'd be amazing if he won - as they could do an incredible story with Nakamura chasing the title against someone people don't see much of, so they could pull out something exciting every time, but Nakamura's been the model of a champion on every level so they might not take it from him there. But still...the ol' "Debut and win title" angle can do a lot for a feud...

I'd say Del Rio's more of a failure than Sheamus as a face - they really should have kept him heel and just gone ALL OUT with the rich Mexican aristocrat gimmick.

If they wanted Del Rio to work well as a face, he should have lost his fortune to pull some sympathy, ala Robert Garcia from KOF.

 

[Kaladin]

Del Rio should have been the Mexican Ric Flair.

 

[A Pretty Panda]

He should lie cheat and steal

 

[Entropia]

And ride a lawnmower to the ring

 

[TheChits]

Man I'm still feeling the good vibes from Raw last night. I hope that they can maintain at least a little bit of this quality leading up to extreme rules.

 

[British Monsoon]

Del Rio should have been paying a group of heels to do his dirty work, he should have been abusing Ricardo at every opportunity, he should have sought out Latinos in the front rows and offered them a dollar to wax his car, he should have been paying Divas to party with him and just generally been a total sleaze-bag. What a waste of a potentially awesome heel character.

Oh shit this is exciting! I bet they're going to burn the fucking house down. It'd be amazing if he won - as they could do an incredible story with Nakamura chasing the title against someone people don't see much of, so they could pull out something exciting every time, but Nakamura's been the model of a champion on every level so they might not take it from him there. But still...the ol' "Debut and win title" angle can do a lot for a feud...

It would certainly put Hino over huge, but I think Nakamura's holding the IC title for a LOOOONG time, until they're ready for him to face Okada (I'm certain this has to happen at some point). And, yeah, I think Nakamura vs Hino could very well be a real kick-ass match - Nakamura works well against a larger, more physical, strong style opponent I find.

 

[Ithil]

I'd say Del Rio's more of a failure than Sheamus as a face - they really should have kept him heel and just gone ALL OUT with the rich Mexican aristocrat gimmick.

Here's the thing about faces and heels, if they're cheering you, you're a face, and if they're booing you, you're a heel, to them.

Ziggler should be face. I don't mean change him to a face, I mean what he is now, should be considered a face. The crowd went nuts for him because they love everything about him, his great wrestling and bumping, his cocky demanour, his lovable stable, his showing off, it's all made him a face to them.

All that should change for Ziggler if he's a face is he should face heels more often, other than that he shouldn't change in the slightest. It's obvious that what WWE thinks a face is, is not accurate to reality.

 

[funkystudent]

And die before he is 40.

edit. yeah thats a bit much.


Back on topic. I predict Fandango will get the Brotus Clay reaction. We love him now but after another month his gimmick will get old.

 

[Dave Meltzer]

I think Del Rio is actually quite good as a face. They've just booked him terribly and his pandering smiling and American dick riding isn't what anyone wants to see. Not really sure where you go with him now.