Badlittlekitten

I don't think they should have taken the belt off her but last night was a step in the right direction for Paige. She's a natural heel. She pretty much worked heel on NXT and now she can ramp up the viciousness and use her decent bumping. The problem with this though is that AJ is a god awful face. Paige was fine in NXT and the matches with Emma were good by any standard. They need to put her back in black, goth her up and let her bring out her inner Sweet Saraya. Raw was a well booked show for the direction they're going in. I just have little interest in the direction they're going in.

Do you need to do a running commentary?

Haha, I'm quite enjoying Stardust. If he does turn heel I hope he keeps the gimmick because it's kinda creepy and Cody is bland as fuck without some kind of gimmick/accessory.

I think somebody asked this earlier, but when did "This Is Awesome" become a thing in the WWE? The first instance I can remember was during one of the Punk/Bryan matches a couple of years back. I tuned out for a number of years so I might be way off. I hate that chant. Reminds me of barricade slapping bellends. "We are awesome!" takes the biscuit though. UK crowds in particular I find unbearable.

Screw the cruiserwieghts. We already have enough guys stuck in a constant loop of meaningless, highly athletic matches. I don't see how creating a division that will ghettoise a fair chunk of the roster will make things more interesting, at least not in the long run.

Don't forget the mentals.

The type of match they were going for wasn't going to win over a burnt out crowd which is why they should have done something different. Neville isn't great at all. He's never been particularly over, likely because he's completely uninteresting working underneath.

Just watched NXT takeover. What a show! In terms of the all round package it's the best wwe event I've seen in donkeys years. Zayne vs Breeze had some silliness but it was the one of the better indy style matches you'll see. Breeze is another unspectacular wrestler with a cutesy gimmick that the Raw team will have no clue how to utilise but he's great in this setting. Zayne always seems to tread a fine line with his selling, between Ricky Morton brilliant/distractingly goofy. I guess that's better than just being Adrian Neville. The finish had the kind of creative touch you won't see on the main shows. The tag was fun and would have been great if Kalisto was given more time to shine. It's the first time I've seen him, his comeback spots were nice but I'm surprised they didn't use this opportunity to show off his flying offence. El Local's hot tag was almost a disaster. I actually quite like Acension especially the entrance. Can somebody explain what the YAH YAH thing is about? The women's match blew me away. The match itself was good but it was the all round presentation - the back story and the competitive Flair/Hart rivalry, the high stakes, the tournament, the tension brewing between Tyson and Nattie etc, all tied together and explained brilliantly - that made it one of the best things they've put together all year. Charlotte could be massive star if WWE gave a shit about women. This is the best I've seen Natalya look and her selling was good. Hated that odd figure four spot though. Flair was great on the outside and was a vital third wheel in the match. The post match was one of them lovely moments that warms the cockles. Charlotte's finisher is fucking awful. Rusev squashing the hell out of that Mojo idiot was a genuine mark out moment . The main was okay but suffered from following two hot matches. It might have worked better as a 8-10 minute sprint rather than a slow building classic. I LOVED Kid being a patronising prick and patting Neville on the head after a mat exchange. I don't rate Neville at all and I'm don't see what he can bring as a singles guy. Fun finish.

And the scary thing is that we've likely got another ten years of this! I don't dislike Orton, he's a decent worker and his goofy awkwardness sometimes has it's charm. He occasionally does the odd thing that I find amusing, like that random Rick Rude promo he cut during a Smackdown match a while back, and he's nowhere near as unwanted a presence as Alberto Del Rio at this point. But there's not much interesting left to do with him, at least not as a top singles act. The most I've ever enjoyed Orton may have been that brief period last year when him and Sheamus were a fun blowjob tag team. I'd love to see them get back together actually. Two less stale acts.

Loved Johnny's Sullivan > Bo theorizing. The little discussion on Cena was fascinating. Really fun show with a top panel. Is this going to be a regular thing?

Genuine question; where are people getting it from that WWE are annoyed at Bryan? That wasn't indicated in the Observer at all. Regarding the Shield, I'm not as mad about it as some but I don't have high hopes either. I'm in "lets see how it plays out" mode which is, well, is never a great sign. On a more positive note Wyatts vs Goldust and Kofi from Main Event was great!

I just don't see how this match killed his momentum. His momentum was killed the Raw after Mania when they put him with Heyman. This match is the most important he's felt since then in my eyes.

What I'm "on about" is this: How does the match or result help Cesaro? How does it further his momentum? Hell, how does it help Sheamus? The answer for all of the above is "it doesn't." You've changed your argument. First you was saying Cesaro was 'booked like shit' and the match killed his momentum, now they're 'moving sideways'. They're different things aren't they? The finish to that match did a good job in protecting both guys.

Yeah, I'm not sure what CS is on about with the 'no reason this match had to happen at all' argument. If nothing else is what a good little opening match that served to heat up the crowd. I don't see how Cesaro losing by 'fluke' after a competitive match hurts him either. The finish was also another nice subtle step to set up Sheamus's inevitable heel turn.

Decent PPV. I liked the two mains but they'd have been better without the ott booking. I'm glad they kept all three Shield looking strong rather than going the predictable Reigns route. Ambrose has really found his groove this year and is starting to look like a future star again. I wish they'd start positioning the divas matches somewhere other than the piss break spot. The Kane nonsense should have gone there. I love Bo Dallas! He's getting over too which is good news. Steph's face when Brie annouced she'd quit was gold. What a vile, despicable, brilliant woman. I like the midgets stuff but the three cretins on commentary put me off watching the match. Sheamus/Cesaro was my favourite match of the night and I could watch them two batter the shit out of each other all day. . oh hold on Well you caught me! Rubbish match.

After his last few showings I can't see Flair getting on TV again at all let alone a big role like that.

Oh I forgot Bo! He's been brilliant so far.

I liked Raw quite a bit. No great matches on it but I was entertained through most of the show. I'm as sick of the Wyatt/Cena feud as everyone else and the 'wide world in his hands' rubbish has turned me on Wyatt. But that was the best segment Bray's ever been involved in. I thought it was excellent and done a great job in making him look like a truly dangerous psycho. It's nice that we got some continuity with the Maddox involvement from last week. Evolution were as hilarious as ever. Sheamus put on one of the best sell jobs all year and the post match beatdown from Cesaro was brutal. The 3mb vs Matadores is fun stuff and we're getting a hair vs mask match! Alicia Fox is obviously great, although they're already starting to over do it. Crowd were fine until the inevitable drop off after the second hour. Rusev and Big E clubbing the shit out of each other gets me moist. Jack Swagger took a lemon hostage. JBL got knocked the fuck out. Pretty good show.

My dream has always been to have a book like Garry Mulholland's This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles since Punk and Disco, but in wrestling form. That Loss is doing something similar is thrilling. I'm stoked for this!

Are you two married or something? I don't want to read up any more on this than what's already been spoiled in here, but it sounds like they're holding out for as long as they can before they commit to a decision about Bryan and the belt, no?

Excellent post. This bit in particular sums up my feelings better than I ever could.

Before 1996 and it's not even close. 80s wrestling is the best wrestling. Better ring work, better promos, better commentary, better crowds, perhaps better booking too, although I tend to think people look back rose tinted in that regard. I couldn't do without all the quirks of the territories. Japan was still good up until 96 as well. Wrestling went into the shitter with the awful Attitude Era. WWE's been pretty great for the last few years but the Indies/Puro are rarely worth watching. Actually, thinking about it, the booking was far better in the 80s. The big matches always felt like they had higher stakes than now.

Royal Rumble 92 was his last hurrah as a great wrestler.