goodhelmet

That shouldn't surprise you. People here have been praising Cena in big time matches for years and Rusev has also been praised heavily at this board. It doesn't hurt that he is the one heel they have actually bothered to protect in the past year.

The first one was an angle (HHH vs. Bryan; Shield come out to save Bryan) but I counted it anyway since the referee rang the bell. The night after Extreme Rules, he had a non-title against ADR so he has that going for him also.

He had 2 title defenses. How many times has Brock defended the belt?

That isn't even a negative on Lawler. That is more reflective of Verne being a cheapskate.

That was the most exciting opening to a RAW in a long time.

Maybe you didn't hear the reaction show but Kris and I defended the match and gave it a thumbs up.

Are you serious? One old retired guy vs. another old retired guy? We are already getting that with Sting vs. HHH.

Yep, sent it in last night.

Dammit Kris... you're losing your street cred.

You are being way too generous. Compared to other crowds we have seen, you are calling that "to life"? I would call it "barely breathing".

Dude, even that Sting chant was half assed. This crowd may be the worst ever.

No shit. It's still a problem that should be dealt with.

OK, having Big Show featured as a heel and following up with a "I am the Big Show and don't be a bully" commercial is just a small, small tiny example of what is wrong with this company.

I laughed at the Flinstones version of Mr. McMahon.

I missed the beginning of the show. What was the response to Roman Reigns coming out? The DB reaction coming out was mixed, part apathetic and part half-hearted YES chants. Hell, the one guy who was a stone cold lock to get a great reaction is now getting so-so reactions.

He's Canadian.... forgive him.

You shouldn't be surprised at any lack of content by now.

The RAW match with Lawler was top of the line. The feud and PPV match with Val Venis was great. The Rumble 98 match with Vader got big pops from me and shoe.

Of course, the angles and apathy on RAW have been horrible. Having Punk and Bryan around have kept me interested in the product regardless of angles and storylines. With Punk gone, and Bryan one injury away from retirement, there isn't much there to keep me holding on to the current product. I didn't mention this in my original post but you know this from many of our conversations... I did stop watching wrestling in 1999 during their hot period. I stopped watching WCW too. Too much stupidity from both companies The only thing that kept me into wrestling was finding internet wrestling culture and tape traders. My disagreement is that we are only shitting on angles during down periods. I disagree with your specific examples but not with the sentiment that stupid shit happens during hot periods also. However, when lackluster wrestling is combined with insulting storylines being pushed at the top of the card combined with poor booking, it all fits into the picture. Add a tragedy like Benoit or Owen and it expedites the process.

Well... Taker did shove J.R.'s face in Vince's ass to turn heel. Right!!! During the Kiss My Ass run, not the 1999 Sacrifice period.

Kidnapping Stephanie... not as bad as Katie Vick or Kiss My Ass. Not even close. Sacrificing Dennis Knight... would offend my religious sensibilities but I have none. Embalming Austin... stupid but didn't offend me. A better comparison that makes me think this shit sucks... The Rock vs. Billy Gunn Kiss My Ass match.

Katie Vick and the Kiss My Ass club were also main event angles. Mae Young's hand wasn't. The Taker sacrifice stuff was stupid but he didn't screw a corpse or shove a man's face in his ass.

Johnny Sorrow wrong about WWE booking? Bite your tongue!!!!

I moved the topic. It deserves its own thread.

Despite the booking of Bryan and Punk and those guys, the wrestling has been pretty good overall with a big downturn the last 4-5 months of 2014. The shows can be boring but they aren't doing Katie Vick or Kiss My Ass skits or Chuck & Billy level BS right now. I tuned out from 2003 through 2007, focusing my time on old footage and watching only the hyped WWE "must see" matches. When Benoit flipped,I stopped watching again until 2009. So, I am not married to the product except for PPV reaction shows. If DB and Lesnar leave again, it may be time to take another break. The product is pretty bad without them.