Not sure if it was actually the case as I don't watch much wrestling nowadays but the whole episode kinda seems like it was quite 'cringe'.
Roman losing notwithstanding.
Roman losing notwithstanding.
Rate the 25th Anniversary of Raw Show
- Thread starter Jacob Fox
- Start date
-
Welcome to "The New" Wrestling Smarks Forum!
I see that you are not currently registered on our forum. It only takes a second, and you can even login with your Facebook! If you would like to register now, pease click here: Register
Once registered please introduce yourself in our introduction thread which can be found here: Introduction Board
Well, RAW 25 is officially in the books and while I understand that this was more of a nostalgia heavy show of celebration rather than your typical Monday night show, I really found it impossible to go past a 5/10. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t call it a waste of time and be that negative about it but for all the build, the hype and the excitement around it, I feel “underwhelming” is the best word I can come up with to describe my reaction as soon as the show went off the air.
Typically you’d like a show to start off with a bang so opening with Vince and Stone Cold Steve Austin was clearly the right call and indeed RAW got off to a white hot start. It really is funny how after all these years Austin STILL gets the biggest pop – with Daniel Bryan a close second – and that’s just something for WWE to think about in trying to figure out what they are doing wrong…cough…Roman Reigns…cough…nowadays. I mean, the man didn’t even need to utter one single word and Barkley’s Center was rocking so there’s some food for thought WWE…
So, after that great opener we went to an 8 woman tag because, you know, we hadn’t had enough of those multi-woman matches for the last, I don’t know, two months? The best part of the whole thing came post match when Asuka “turned” on her teammates, reminding us that’s there’s a fucking Royal Rumble in a few days where it’s EVERY WOMAN FOR HERSELF. Gee, what a concept…
Back in the Manhattan Center, I have to say, WWE really went out of their way when it came to preparation because indeed it looked exactly like the good old days, from the siren, the old RAW logo to even the King wearing his classic attire and the referee’s in their blue shirts and bowties. It appears, however, they spent all their energy in preparation because from what I heard, it was a rather terrible experience for the fans in attendance. I mean, when you get chances of “we want…something”, well, that ain’t good, right? I’ve also already seen memes of King and JR seemingly fallen asleep so this can’t have been any good and it really sucks for the fans that paid good money for a ticket.
Onto the in ring stuff, Undertaker came out and interestingly enough not in his usual gear. No hat, no trench coat, no gloves, not exactly the dead man per say but reminded me more of the Ministry of Darkness days instead. Either way, he cut a short promo, talking about some of the legends he “buried” and proclaimed they can now finally rest in peace. And…that was it. No tease, nothing to set up a potential future match, nothing. Almost as if this was a retirement speech of sorts and if that was the case, I’m absolutely fine with. This of course does not mean that they can’t set anything up if they want to. For example, if the idea is indeed for a match with John Cena, who’s to say that Undertaker doesn’t make an appearance this Sunday at the Rumble and cost Cena his elimination?
Then we had Woken Hardy versus Bray Wyatt in a match that went for a grand total of...four (?) minutes and in which…Bray went over? Clean? I get that it’s the Great War and Woken Mat Hardy needs to work his way towards victory and whatever but I really have a hard time understanding the logic behind a CLEAN pin.
Meanwhile, back at Barkley’s WWE finally made the right decision by taking the IC strap off Roman and giving it to the Miz. Quite the surprise to be honest and mostly because I didn’t think WWE would want to have Roman pinned clean in the middle of the ring while setting up for the inevitable clash with Brock at Mania but as I’ve previously noted on numerous occasions, Roman holding it was a complete waste so at least this opens the door for more of the midcarders to have something to fight for.
Furthermore, I’d suggest for people to hold their horses because after tonight’s events, they fear that Roman losing the IC belt means he is now winning the Royal Rumble. Do I really need to go through this again? Like, seriously, do people not think before they speak?
First off, the Rumble is in Philly and we all remember how that went last time. As a matter of fact, I actually relived the whole damn thing just yesterday and boy, talk about getting booed out of the building. Poor Rock – yes, the mighty fucking Rock – couldn’t even save it so for WWE to go back in Philly and pull another Roman is just beyond stupid. They might as well shut down the business after that…
Secondly, if Roman wins and keeping in mind that Brock Lesnar is NOT advertised for the Elimination Chamber PPV which is RAW EXCLUSIVE, thus meaning NO title defense, WHAT THE FUCK will they be fighting for inside the chamber? Oh, to determine a number one contender for the IC title? Or are they going to put six women in there and have the first ever Woman’s Elimination Chamber? Please….
(And just to be clear, Woman’s Elimination Chamber actually sounds good but that’s too many firsts in one month, don’t you think?)
Back to the RAW discussion, the 2-sweet moment with DX and Balor Club was definitely a great moment but burying the Revival afterwards was NOT....
Edit: By the way, during their promo, I was personally shocked when HHH brought up Chyna...Like, when's the last time we heard that name drop, God rest her sole?
Last but not least, the main event, revolving around the massive triple threat match comes Sunday between Brock, Braun and Kane. You got all sorts of people coming out surrounding the ring, you’re thinking massive brawl and chaos, yet they gave this main event segment a grand total of…six minutes? So, minus the three minutes of entrances, they gave this 3 minutes. Three fucking minutes!!!
On a final note, I was a bit surprised about some of the people that actually did not show up. I know Edge was out of the country and impossible to make it and I also can understand why Hulk Hogan couldn’t be there but I found it odd that neither Mick Foley nor the Rock made an appearance. Especially in Rock’s case, I could have sworn his name was kept out of any announcement only for the surprise to be bigger when his music would eventually hit but…guess not.
Typically you’d like a show to start off with a bang so opening with Vince and Stone Cold Steve Austin was clearly the right call and indeed RAW got off to a white hot start. It really is funny how after all these years Austin STILL gets the biggest pop – with Daniel Bryan a close second – and that’s just something for WWE to think about in trying to figure out what they are doing wrong…cough…Roman Reigns…cough…nowadays. I mean, the man didn’t even need to utter one single word and Barkley’s Center was rocking so there’s some food for thought WWE…
So, after that great opener we went to an 8 woman tag because, you know, we hadn’t had enough of those multi-woman matches for the last, I don’t know, two months? The best part of the whole thing came post match when Asuka “turned” on her teammates, reminding us that’s there’s a fucking Royal Rumble in a few days where it’s EVERY WOMAN FOR HERSELF. Gee, what a concept…
Back in the Manhattan Center, I have to say, WWE really went out of their way when it came to preparation because indeed it looked exactly like the good old days, from the siren, the old RAW logo to even the King wearing his classic attire and the referee’s in their blue shirts and bowties. It appears, however, they spent all their energy in preparation because from what I heard, it was a rather terrible experience for the fans in attendance. I mean, when you get chances of “we want…something”, well, that ain’t good, right? I’ve also already seen memes of King and JR seemingly fallen asleep so this can’t have been any good and it really sucks for the fans that paid good money for a ticket.
Onto the in ring stuff, Undertaker came out and interestingly enough not in his usual gear. No hat, no trench coat, no gloves, not exactly the dead man per say but reminded me more of the Ministry of Darkness days instead. Either way, he cut a short promo, talking about some of the legends he “buried” and proclaimed they can now finally rest in peace. And…that was it. No tease, nothing to set up a potential future match, nothing. Almost as if this was a retirement speech of sorts and if that was the case, I’m absolutely fine with. This of course does not mean that they can’t set anything up if they want to. For example, if the idea is indeed for a match with John Cena, who’s to say that Undertaker doesn’t make an appearance this Sunday at the Rumble and cost Cena his elimination?
Then we had Woken Hardy versus Bray Wyatt in a match that went for a grand total of...four (?) minutes and in which…Bray went over? Clean? I get that it’s the Great War and Woken Mat Hardy needs to work his way towards victory and whatever but I really have a hard time understanding the logic behind a CLEAN pin.
Meanwhile, back at Barkley’s WWE finally made the right decision by taking the IC strap off Roman and giving it to the Miz. Quite the surprise to be honest and mostly because I didn’t think WWE would want to have Roman pinned clean in the middle of the ring while setting up for the inevitable clash with Brock at Mania but as I’ve previously noted on numerous occasions, Roman holding it was a complete waste so at least this opens the door for more of the midcarders to have something to fight for.
Furthermore, I’d suggest for people to hold their horses because after tonight’s events, they fear that Roman losing the IC belt means he is now winning the Royal Rumble. Do I really need to go through this again? Like, seriously, do people not think before they speak?
First off, the Rumble is in Philly and we all remember how that went last time. As a matter of fact, I actually relived the whole damn thing just yesterday and boy, talk about getting booed out of the building. Poor Rock – yes, the mighty fucking Rock – couldn’t even save it so for WWE to go back in Philly and pull another Roman is just beyond stupid. They might as well shut down the business after that…
Secondly, if Roman wins and keeping in mind that Brock Lesnar is NOT advertised for the Elimination Chamber PPV which is RAW EXCLUSIVE, thus meaning NO title defense, WHAT THE FUCK will they be fighting for inside the chamber? Oh, to determine a number one contender for the IC title? Or are they going to put six women in there and have the first ever Woman’s Elimination Chamber? Please….
(And just to be clear, Woman’s Elimination Chamber actually sounds good but that’s too many firsts in one month, don’t you think?)
Back to the RAW discussion, the 2-sweet moment with DX and Balor Club was definitely a great moment but burying the Revival afterwards was NOT....
Edit: By the way, during their promo, I was personally shocked when HHH brought up Chyna...Like, when's the last time we heard that name drop, God rest her sole?
Last but not least, the main event, revolving around the massive triple threat match comes Sunday between Brock, Braun and Kane. You got all sorts of people coming out surrounding the ring, you’re thinking massive brawl and chaos, yet they gave this main event segment a grand total of…six minutes? So, minus the three minutes of entrances, they gave this 3 minutes. Three fucking minutes!!!
On a final note, I was a bit surprised about some of the people that actually did not show up. I know Edge was out of the country and impossible to make it and I also can understand why Hulk Hogan couldn’t be there but I found it odd that neither Mick Foley nor the Rock made an appearance. Especially in Rock’s case, I could have sworn his name was kept out of any announcement only for the surprise to be bigger when his music would eventually hit but…guess not.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2014
- Messages
- 3,093
- Reaction score
- 677
- Points
- 113
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Sports Team
-
- The Opening (with The McMahons & Austin): I loved it. It was serious, it was hilarious, it was fun. Awesome start.
- The 8 Women Tag Team match: Eh, nothing to write home about.
- But Asuka turning on her teammates and tossing them over the top rope: Priceless.
- Backstage segment #1: Eh. It was okay.
- The Undertaker comes to the ring: Same ol' shit, different year. Do like the dress he was wearing, tho!
- Backstage segment #2: Funny.
- GM Roll Call: Decent. Not really special.
- DB & The Miz have a staredown: I don't know if anyone notices - this is actually a hint. Wrestlemania match?
- The Miz vs Roman Reigns: Disappointed that he lost the title that soon.
- Backstage segment #3: I liked that it integrates old and new stars without it feeling forced.
- Christian's Peep Show (with Rollins & Jordan and The Bar): I feel like a heel turn for Jason is coming. I'm sure Seth wanted to attack Jason for being the idiot he's been, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jason vs Seth happens soon or at Wrestlemania. Just until Ambrose comes back.
- Backstage segment #4: WOOOOOOO!!
- Backstage segment #5: What a great way to use Dana in there!
- Bray Wyatt vs # WOKEN Matt Hardy: Eh. The wrestling was boring, and predictable. Bray needs to do something new.
- Backstage segment #6: Jericho put Elias on the list! I'm starting to realize why Elias has the gimmick he has.... Hmmm. Wrestlemania match?
- Elias vs John Cena: Good. Believable. Post-match was good. Felt like a real segment. Nothing feels forced.
- Backstage segment #7: The Million Dollar Man won the pot...DAMN!!
- Backstage segment #8: I need to see this!
- Titus Worldwide vs Slater & Rhyno: Good, but I really wish WWE would stop using the Dudleys, and give the Dudleys a new gimmick - like I dunno. BULLY FUCKING RAY, WWE! BULLY RAY, YOU SHITHEADS!
- Backstage segment #9: I loved the Hogan impression there. It was awesome. It's like they're teasing something.
- Another DX Reunion: Funny. DX being assholes all over again. lmfao.
- The Club vs The Revival: They integrated the promo, then the match, then back to segment and timed it perfectly. Everything was not left unturned. Fantastic.
- Braun Strowman, Kane & Brock Lesnar come down to the ring: Yawn. I am sorry, it was weak. RAW endings used to have chaos, they ruined the whole thing by having superstars in the middle, and not letting them fight their asses off. WWE needs to stop being a bunch of wussies. Opps, I mean pussies.
Hey, hey, hey. Chill it, man! No need to go there.
Comedic relief, what else?
He retired. It's plain and real. He even hesitated there, that means he really doesn't want this to real. :emoji_slight_frown:
Wrestlemania match incoming, tho.
They want to put over Gallows/Anderson/Balor, so a future "Bullet Club" and/or "Balor Club" is brought into the picture. It's obvious that WWE wants the entire Bullet Club eventually.
You can. It's called the WWE Network!
Last edited:
I watched the whole show for the first time in quite some time and it was okay for what it was. I mean, it was more of a nostalgia show than a go-home show for the Rumble, but oh well. 5/10
So, am I the only one who thinks the 2015 Rumble scenario will be happening once again? Like, we have Lesnar competing in a triple-threat once again and with Reigns dropping the title, that increases his chance of winning on Sunday... And we all know how it ended up the last time. Not sure if WWE wants to make the same mistake twice, but I wouldn't be surprised. Plus, in order to avoid Reigns being booed out of the building again, he will probably be better off winning the EC and claim his #1 contender spot for Lesnar's title there.
So, am I the only one who thinks the 2015 Rumble scenario will be happening once again? Like, we have Lesnar competing in a triple-threat once again and with Reigns dropping the title, that increases his chance of winning on Sunday... And we all know how it ended up the last time. Not sure if WWE wants to make the same mistake twice, but I wouldn't be surprised. Plus, in order to avoid Reigns being booed out of the building again, he will probably be better off winning the EC and claim his #1 contender spot for Lesnar's title there.
I haven't watched it yet. Busy Monday night, forgot to pvr. But from what I read it seems like a fun nostalgia show...which isn't a bad thing sometimes.
Just disappointed that some people had to cut it up so much as if they expected something else. Like all the old timers to come back and lay down for current roster or something....
It is what it is. A fun episode that should be taken lightly. Not everything has to mean something especially on occasions such as this. Some people need to lighten up and learn to just relax sometimes.
That being said, I'll try to catch the replay on the weekend.
Just disappointed that some people had to cut it up so much as if they expected something else. Like all the old timers to come back and lay down for current roster or something....
It is what it is. A fun episode that should be taken lightly. Not everything has to mean something especially on occasions such as this. Some people need to lighten up and learn to just relax sometimes.
That being said, I'll try to catch the replay on the weekend.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2017
- Messages
- 343
- Reaction score
- 336
- Points
- 0
- Age
- 32
- Location
- I'm from winnipeg you idiot
Pros :
+ Amazing opening segment with Stone Cold and the McMahons. By far the best part of the show.
+ Miz vs Roman was really good. Props to the crowd, they were red hot for this match. I am pleased that Miz won the title back, because the guy just deserves it. I also really liked the manner in which he won the match. It suited his character wonderfully.
+ The short segment with Elias and Jericho was great.
+ Elias smashing his guitar on Cena was cool.
Cons :
- I felt that this show had very little substance, and actual effort put into it. Like they thought that nostalgia alone can carry the show, no matter how lazy it feels.
- The Manhattan crowd got fucking ROBBED!
- Underwhelming Undertaker segment.
- Are The Revival the next Ascension?
- Woken Matt losing in 3 mins to a jobber.
- The closing segment was like the rest of this show, underwhelming.
Overall : 5/10 Very disappointing
+ Amazing opening segment with Stone Cold and the McMahons. By far the best part of the show.
+ Miz vs Roman was really good. Props to the crowd, they were red hot for this match. I am pleased that Miz won the title back, because the guy just deserves it. I also really liked the manner in which he won the match. It suited his character wonderfully.
+ The short segment with Elias and Jericho was great.
+ Elias smashing his guitar on Cena was cool.
Cons :
- I felt that this show had very little substance, and actual effort put into it. Like they thought that nostalgia alone can carry the show, no matter how lazy it feels.
- The Manhattan crowd got fucking ROBBED!
- Underwhelming Undertaker segment.
- Are The Revival the next Ascension?
- Woken Matt losing in 3 mins to a jobber.
- The closing segment was like the rest of this show, underwhelming.
Overall : 5/10 Very disappointing