PhilTLL

One thing I love about this match is that there is an inordinately huge crowd watching it. What? How? Did they tape it after the show (this Nitro was indeed taped the previous week) and get people on the way out, or did thousands of people show up just to watch this? Unfortunately this is perhaps the apex of Eric Bischoff being a worrywart spoil-sport. Not just demanding the long camera shots in the most obnoxious way possible ("If this gets too much for our viewers, I'm gonna demand we pull so far wide all we can see is the skyline!" Well fuck you too, Eric!), but in acting like he just does not have the stomach or the clearance from TNT S&P to witness the violence and action we all came to see. He also loved to clutch pearls about mild swear words and Randy Savage around the same time.

It's hard to say given how much ESPN likes to turn over their staff, but he'd probably still be there if he hadn't gotten himself fired for leaking to sports media biz outlets. I'm sure Meltzer already has his phone number.

Thunderdome.

He's a longtime fan. Mauro Ranallo can call wrestling moves for hours but he was terrible. So we'll see.

Former ESPN veteran Adnan Virk debuts as Raw PBP tonight. This should be a substantial improvement. Nothing that will get me to sit through 3 hours of Raw, but an improvement.

I've always felt this about Reggie Watts from James Corden's show.

Oh well hell.

That was very good, another few minutes at that level would have made it as excellent as last night's main. But yeah a pumphandle slam? How 70s. Not a complaint, mind you. Well maybe Asuka deserved a little better by current standards.

I said I *didn't* think it was a huge detriment! That last spot was fucking insane obviously.

Rhea's expressions are off the charts.

I didn't think Bianca Belair getting emotional at the beginning was a huge detriment last night, but these two have absolutely none of those issues. This is focused and peppy so far.

That was the worst musical performance at a major sports-like event since Ashlee Simpson at the 2005 Orange Bowl.

I was just assuming based on the fact that if not for the rain delay, last night would have fit in a pretty tight three hours. It seems like plenty of time anyway. They also still have it on traditional PPV.

A few minutes ago I remarked optimistically about how much time was left for the remaining matches, forgetting that there was still plenty of other WWE bullshit to do first.

Bleh I forgot about the Hall of Fame class part 2. Okay so 50 minutes for these last two matches...

An hour minimum left for these last two matches. (I mean depending on how many 3-minute commercials for last night's event they decide to show.) Rhea Ripley is getting an extended live intro like E.

Well damn, I only caught the end of that. It looked brutal but not long enough.

They have got to bring pause/RW/FF back ASAP.

MATT RIDDLE gets to use the Jackhammer as a mid-match 2 count?? They call the Alabama Slam by name but the Jackhammer is just "look at the impact"?? He sure does hit dives cleanly though.

A shapeless spotfest, the epitome of a modern **1/2 match. Similar but a little bit worse than Rollins Cesaro. Even using the old school definitions, they're both about halfway between "about what we expected" and "very good/worth making time to watch".

Somebody on here when they won yesterday was dismayed that Nattie was getting another push, but I'm pretty sure it's just that they had to pick whoever could resist injury the best.

"Blatantly disrespectful. Those three could learn a lot from Bayley." Indeed. They sandbagged that segment.

The green jacket!

Okie doke. At least it's over. Hey maybe this will get Alexa Bliss back into some shit that is not completely awful.

200 bucks for everything in the infield and nobody past the second row can see a damn thing.