He was not Batista first and foremost. I think you could have been surprised for the guys who would have been hugely over in that spot. Look at Del Rio at Chamber.

Right... and Reigns isn't getting random chants or being super cheered on the shows since Rumble. Reigns will get those cheers eventually but he isn't getting "He's our guy" chants.

I think there is a lot of overlap between Bryan fans and Punk fans, but I don't think fans are going to really get behind Punk if they feel that he's being offered up as a consolation prize. He'll probably get a "at least it wasn't Orton or Batista" pop when he wins, but I doubt it'll last.

For more than a week, people going to RAW tomorrow have been trying to organize the highjacking of the show on this twitter account https://twitter.com/ChicagoRAWcrowd

 

They even ended up with a list

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhxCrWGCUAAy5bo.jpg:large

If Punk is coming back, it won't be to work HHH. He left because he was going to work HHH at Mania and unless something drastically changed on his end (which from reports, it seems like this was Vince and Co. lowering their shields), Punk will be back to work the main event. This fulfills the idea that there's someone other than Orton or Batista working the main event, which, while it won't save the match, will save the crowd in some aspects.

 

Bryan will face HHH, win, and then he'll be groomed for a title run either at Extreme Rules or Money in the Bank.

 

I don't think there's as much of an overlap between Bryan and Punk fans as people think. Bryan is genuinely over in a way that Punk was really over in at MITB 2011 and he's been that way for months. It's a similar situation, oddly, and he'll get a hero's welcome in Chicago, but after tomorrow night, he's not gonna be as over as Bryan is.

If I went to a live show & someone handed me a flyer where they suggested standing up & literally turning your back to the ring, I would call that person, to their face, a fucking idiot.

It's amazing because as Dave has said, creative has scripted a revolution against themselves.

I'm going to be disappointed if we don't get a midget. I'm already resigned that we're not getting Corey Graves.

So WWE.com just confirmed Batista vs Bryan for tonight.

 

I think this show is even more stacked than last week.

I didn't even think of the tried and true WWE tactic of playing someone's music who is gone and having a midget come out impersonating them. That would be fantastic. Followed by doing it again later in the night and having Bad News Barrett come out.

So WWE.com just confirmed Batista vs Bryan for tonight.

 

I think this show is even more stacked than last week.

 

Well, there's your most heated match of 2014.

This is the first truly "Network Era" Raw. The fact that they are loading up this show interests me because I think it could potentially suggest some long term changes in the presentation of the t.v. shows that go hand in hand with ppv's being "free" for network subscribers.

Elaborate, Dylan

As ppv's become more and more a part of the Network and less and less an outside element of the business plan, it is arguable that the company will put less and less stock in them in terms of building them, executing all major storylines built around them, doing most title switches on them, et. In the "content era" there may be a leveling out effect where all content is presented at roughly the same level.

I'm not Dylan, but I think his point is that Batista vs Bryan is a match that could headline a pay-per-view. They wouldn't have put it on TV in the past, at least not until after letting it run its course on PPV first. Wyatts vs Shield matching up again is also a big one. If you add in Punk returning and Hogan, Undertaker and Brock being there, this is a really loaded RAW. They don't have to hold very much, if anything, back now in hyping PPVs so maybe we should expect to see more marquee matches on television.

Let us also not forget they are negotiating a new TV deal so they will definitely ramp up their shows to showcase their great talent and show the networks what they can get if they pull the trigger on the deal.

Vince's slip'n'slide tope over the announce table is the greatest spot in wrestling history

This match is on WWE Network, BTW.

I am not ashamed to admit that the very first thing I watched on the WWE Network was Vince McMahon vs CM Punk.

I'm not Dylan, but I think his point is that Batista vs Bryan is a match that could headline a pay-per-view. They wouldn't have put it on TV in the past, at least not until after letting it run its course on PPV first. Wyatts vs Shield matching up again is also a big one. If you add in Punk returning and Hogan, Undertaker and Brock being there, this is a really loaded RAW. They don't have to hold very much, if anything, back now in hyping PPVs so maybe we should expect to see more marquee matches on television.

 

I think they do have a history of giving away match-ups that they shouldn't on TV for free, though.

I was loving this promo by Heyman but trying to somehow connect Punk and Taker was beyond a reach

 

Bryan vs Batista could be a disaster for many reasons. Never mind that Batista can't work more than 10 minutes without sweating a river but unless they decided to finally connect Triple H with Batista it is going to make no sense to have him job

It served it's purpose however, which was to try and move the crowd beyond the CM Punk stuff. Or at least throw them off.

I was loving this promo by Heyman but trying to somehow connect Punk and Taker was beyond a reach

 

Bryan vs Batista could be a disaster for many reasons. Never mind that Batista can't work more than 10 minutes without sweating a river but unless they decided to finally connect Triple H with Batista it is going to make no sense to have him job

 

Orton will run in, there won't be a finish.

Poor Mark Henry

Holy shit did Brock throw a TV monitor over the other side of the ring

 

Apparently that monitor did hit a fan. That is going to be a problem.

If they've booked a table bump in the first 20 minutes, they must have some crazy shit planned for later on.