tim

I liked it. In fact it made me do a 180 on the Kane/Bryan match and I'm looking forward to it now. I know we're only 30 minutes in but this really feels like a return to form after last week (even though that form isn't terribly well established).

I agree that NJPW as a "workrate alternative" doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it is, well, a regular alternative. The style is different. I'm not even convinced it's more workrate oriented, the main events are more wont to kill time in holds than modern WWE main events are. It's definitely stiffer though. MAYBE a little more variety but modern NJPW style is pretty "patterned" as well. It's just a different style. It's also just something else. More than anything else I think it's a thing that people can get into and be unabashedly positive about. That has a lot to do with the fact that the vast majority of people frankly don't care about NJPW as much as WWE, even if they'll scream from the rooftops that NJPW is better. They're less invested so they care less about questionable booking decisions, talented guys not getting their proper due, etc. They can zoom in on the positives and enjoy it with no anxiety. Also I think NJPW is the FAR the best promotion in the world for putting out great entire shows. People picking and choosing the more pimped NJPW matches are really missing out on the experience by not just watching the show all the way through. They're usual a ton of fun and the style works a lot better "in context" imo.

I like the two belt look and hope they keep it.

I had less than 0 interest in seeing RVD and am very annoyed that he's getting prime TV time over guys much better and more interesting than him, but I can't imagine Cesaro can't take control and work around RVD's big moves and spots and make a really good TV match.

I would be shocked if that wasn't a good match.

It still remains to be seen whether this or last week was the aberration. I'll give them a pass tonight because Bryan was gone and they had Warrior to pay tribute to so they might not have thought of this RAW as a huge priority. But I'm not at all convinced yet that going forward the booking will be as good as last week made it look like it might be.

Maybe I'm an outlier here but I watched this yesterday for the first time and thought it was a real classic. Liger and Kikuchi both give career-level performances, Liger as a sadistic heel and Kikuchi as the scrappy but sympathetic face. Love the layout, cool opening stuff with Kikuchi taunting Liger, on to a fantastic FIP on Kikuchi, on to the junior scrubs mixing it up a bit and finishing off with the big Kikuchi/Liger clash and a very satisfying ending. Tons of cool stuff and dramatic moments and a great crowd. I have this in my top 10 for the decade right now.

Of my top 10 matches of the year right now, 8 are from WWE and the top 4 are all WWE.

Was Austin's heel turn at 17 expected? I was totally shocked as an 11 year old mark, but I had already started reading some rumor sites online, getting hip to the lingo. Remember the reports that Benoit was being turned face after NWO. But I don't recall hearing anything about an Austin heel turn and never imagined it would happen at that moment.

It shouldn't have ended like that, etc, as part of the thing he does right at the end of his show.

Stewart mentioned Lesnar beating the streak on the Daily Show. And the crowd no sold it. Damn champagne socialists think they're too cool for pro wrestling!!!!

Bryan/Brock could be so good in done right, all the stuff they can do with the size difference, the different MMA strikes they bring to the table, legit MMA vs. submission wrestling, etc. Go off the blueprint of the Morishima/Bryan match from ROH. I only worry that my expectations are so high in could never live up. Bryan/Brock at Summerslam would be so amazing, at the same time I wouldn't be able to object to having it in only a month. In that case, Summerslam could have a Cena/Bryan rematch.

Hahahaha. Good luck ladies!

I hope so. I'm having nightmares about them cashing in Brock on a Batista match right now.

woooooooooooooooow

I guess this confirms the reported problems about a Brock/Taker match. Plus the shitty build. Bad, bad booking.

wow this isn't good at all

Wyatt/Cena was pretty disappointing. The crowd just wasn't buying the narrative of the match because they aren't going to get behind Cena. And at this point I can't blame him. Cena is still a merch king and a big draw, but even I as a huge fan of his as a worker absolutely cannot care less about this "Cena cemented his legacy again!" story. Very disappointing finish.

CESARO YES!!! WHAT. GOD DAMN. This is trying to be my favorite Wrestlemania ever.

"Theres goes the Attitude Era!" Let's hope that, in a way, when we look back on this event that's the line that rings most true.

A couple months from now, Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli will be a viable PPV main event. A viable ... Wrestlemania main event?

Cesaro is so over. It's beautiful enough to bring a tear to your eye.

Agreed, I liked this show a lot. Really don't have much interest to see Okada/Styles though. Really don't have much interest to see Styles at all. Obviously few people in the crowd had any idea who he was. Everything on the undercard was at least fun for some reason and Naito/Ishii and Nakamura/Tanahashi were the best matches either pairing has had imo.

I don't know what ELSE anyone expected a Mr. T speech to be.

Hahaha, this is hilarious. Gotta say I felt bad for Mr. T at the end there, apologizing and stuff. Surely they could have done it more professionally than that.