-
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
Not a review of any particular show as this thread is moving fast, but I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m not even much of a New Generation fan and this has me wanting to go back and compare the era to your BTB. Also, if Terry Funk and Mil Mascaras are in the Rumble I might have to call TicketMaster myself.
So this definitely a time period I love. I was 8 years old at the end of 1996 and remember this time in the WWF fondly. I think it's such an interesting choice to start at the end of the year with Sid's reign, gives so many possibilities to make 1997 different than how it played out in real life.
Austin and Vader seems like a fascinating contest to kick off a Raw episode from this time, I still envisage Raw being mostly squash matches with a decent main event but this feels like a big time way to get things started. A 'Toughman Contest' is also something different, what are the rules for a match like this? Anyway, a double DQ protects both these guys, and they deserve to be protected given their status at this time. 1996 was such a waste of Vader, so please do something good with him in 1997. Anyway, Undertaker and then Mankind, really felt like their feud had run it's course by this point so I'm hoping you will blow their rivalry off for good soon and give them something else to do. But this all feels like a ready made tag team main event between the four of these guys in the near future, which would be another massive match if it happens on Raw. A solid start to the show, booking wise it all made a lot of sense.
Like the little Livewire update. Another cool little feature of the time was people phoning in during matches, this wasn't quite that but I like the idea of guys phoning into shows to give us their thoughts. A very authentic little touch.
D'Lo and Ahmed as a pairing I'm fine with, a nice little wrinkle on the Ahmed/Nation feud that felt like it lasted forever in real life. I like the idea of bringing Kama in now, which hopefully avoids Savio Vega ever being a Nation member as that was awful and then got worse when DoA and Los Boricuas got involved. But yeah, this was another well booked match, D'Lo playing the face in pearl to allow Ahmed to run wild is the smart choice and bringing Kama in to bolster the numbers of The Nation works for me too.
This Sunny and Rocky thing has me intrigued, I doubt you align Sunny with Rocky so soon into his run, but then again, that little bit about them catching a bite to eat suggests Sunny won't take this knock back lying down. I'm interested, if only because I can't figure out how this will play out yet.
Goldust at this time was such a great character, and probably the only time the word androgenous was used so often. The fact you've offered up Goldust as Flash Funk's first feud in the company suggests Funk is going to be a bigger deal for you than in real life, and I'm on board with that. Again, intrigued with where you will go with this, but this is another great little nod to what was going on at the time. Guys doing promos and then we have to wait for a response is something that pretty much disappears in a year or so's time, so I appreciated it here.
Big Sid was a mental character in 1996, and I loved it. The whole talking to himself and shouting like mad during promos, it was great stuff. I liked that idea of him wanting to see all the faces of those who love Shawn Michaels only so he can disappoint them at the Rumble, that's good stuff. How you use Sid post Rumble is going to be a real big part of the thread for me, as I think he's such a great character to use in this timeframe. Do something awesome with him.
Ugh, Honky Tonk Man. I couldn't stand him as a kid, which I know is not the worse trait for a heel, but I thought he was just awful, especially that spell in 1997 when he was looking for a protégé and came up with Rockabilly. With you having him involved you obviously have something in mind for him, but I won't say I'm looking forward to it.
Mero gets a solid win over Lawler, who had a great ability at this time for losing matches but always being able to regain his heat with mouth afterwards. Mero clearly the one needing the win to keep him strong for the showdown with Helmsley, so another sensible booking decision. The post match with Helmsley and Perfect was fine, got them some decent heat with the tease of the attack on Sable. I like that Perfect is sticking around, I thought that partnership with him and Helmsley had a lot more potential that what played out, so looking forward to seeing how you develop them and if an in-ring return is ever on the cards for Perfect.
So if I remember right, Owen and Bulldog were due for a breakup ahead of WrestleMania but due to the real life injuries and what have you, those plans were shelved in real life. So it makes sense if you're going to pull the trigger on it. Again, liked the idea of someone phoning into the show, and liked the idea of Ross and McMahon niggling away at him over the tension between the two of them. Another little intriguing segment that keeps that story ticking over nicely.
The Godwinns and The Headbangers would never be a great match, certainly not the main event, but with the big Bret interview to come, it again shows how big that opening match was as that was clearly match of the night for me. Nothing special in this, I don't remember The Headbangers being heels at this point, but I liked how they cheated to win, gives their character a little twist. The tag division outside of Owen and Bulldog was so weak at this time, especially since Furnas and LaFon didn't pan out the way they wanted, so looking forward to seeing who steps up as the next challengers for the champions. And will we see The Legion of Doom return soon like they did in real life?
Great stuff with the Bret interview, liked the idea of him calling Shawn "Cinderella" and saying that he would teach Shawn some humility. Almost feel like we could see Shawn and Bret at WrestleMania 13 but without the title, just let them have a brutal blood match like Bret/Austin. The staredown from Shawn at the end builds the tension nicely, and going off the air without a retort from 'HBK' is another smart decision. Like I said earlier, it's nice to build the anticipation for the response sometimes instead of just getting straight into a back and forth.
Overall, an enjoyable episode of Raw. Some very smart booking decisions throughout and things seems to be moving along with regards to the Rumble. A lot of possibilities as to where you could take things, looking forward to seeing where it all goes.
As for Superstars, I can't begin to express how disappointed I am to see Honky Tonk Man back out here. The sooner this nonsense is over the better for me.
Anyway, what a time to be alive, a Bart Gunn match that lasted ten minutes! No chance he's beating Helmsley though, especially not with the gold on the line. I suppose my only gripe would be that Helmsley needed Billy's distraction to get the win, but that's not a major issue. Mero having something to say about what happened on Raw is expected, although the beatdown postmatch wasn't. Obviously a blow off beating The Gunn's is coming, although I don't know what role Holly and Double J have to play in it all.
Does this mean we are adding Honky Tonk into the mix with Cornette and Sunny to see who will be Rocky's manager!?
See, this is what I'm here for. Squashes a plenty! Good wins for Bradshaw and then Flash Funk later on. Solid, if unspectacular stuff from those two bouts.
Makes sense to hear from Kama, although I thought it was interesting you said he was decked out in the uniformed colours, makes me wonder if Crush has fallen in line as well and is dressing in similar fashion.
More tension building between Owen and Bulldog, definitely feels like Davey Boy is turning face soon with his comments about being upset with Owen and Austin targeting Bret in the fashion they did. I suppose I wonder who would takes the straps from them, but we'll worry about that later. This was another good step along in this story, and I'm sure the match with the AAA guys will be similar.
Wow, TL Hopper. The very definition of the jobber with a profession era. A bit of a dud match, and I hope that bit about Cornette berating Hopper after the match means you'll be moving James E. onto someone more prominent. He's such a great manager, he was really wasted in the company being associated with these nobodies around this time.
And a final smart booking decision to have Owen have to cheat to get the win so he and Bulldog can retain the titles. A decent showing for Cibernetico and Pierroth, good for international relations to help the AAA look strong ahead of their various Royal Rumble appearances. I suppose another minor gripe would be did we need Furnas and LaFon here, along with the Slammy shot from Owen? I get it, you're building something with Furnas, LaFon and the AAA guys, but this was maybe a little too much. Also means we've opened and ended this show with outside interference costing the faces and saving titles for the heels. A nitpick from me, but I don't think we needed Furnas and LaFon here.
I think this has been a really good week of TV, a lot of stuff progressed and moved along, especially things like Owen/Bulldog, Helmsley/Mero and of course Bret/Shawn. Sid was perhaps a little in the background this week given he only had a promo, but I'm sure he'll be more featured as we get closer to San Antonio. Good stuff, really enjoying this so far!
Austin and Vader seems like a fascinating contest to kick off a Raw episode from this time, I still envisage Raw being mostly squash matches with a decent main event but this feels like a big time way to get things started. A 'Toughman Contest' is also something different, what are the rules for a match like this? Anyway, a double DQ protects both these guys, and they deserve to be protected given their status at this time. 1996 was such a waste of Vader, so please do something good with him in 1997. Anyway, Undertaker and then Mankind, really felt like their feud had run it's course by this point so I'm hoping you will blow their rivalry off for good soon and give them something else to do. But this all feels like a ready made tag team main event between the four of these guys in the near future, which would be another massive match if it happens on Raw. A solid start to the show, booking wise it all made a lot of sense.
Like the little Livewire update. Another cool little feature of the time was people phoning in during matches, this wasn't quite that but I like the idea of guys phoning into shows to give us their thoughts. A very authentic little touch.
D'Lo and Ahmed as a pairing I'm fine with, a nice little wrinkle on the Ahmed/Nation feud that felt like it lasted forever in real life. I like the idea of bringing Kama in now, which hopefully avoids Savio Vega ever being a Nation member as that was awful and then got worse when DoA and Los Boricuas got involved. But yeah, this was another well booked match, D'Lo playing the face in pearl to allow Ahmed to run wild is the smart choice and bringing Kama in to bolster the numbers of The Nation works for me too.
This Sunny and Rocky thing has me intrigued, I doubt you align Sunny with Rocky so soon into his run, but then again, that little bit about them catching a bite to eat suggests Sunny won't take this knock back lying down. I'm interested, if only because I can't figure out how this will play out yet.
Goldust at this time was such a great character, and probably the only time the word androgenous was used so often. The fact you've offered up Goldust as Flash Funk's first feud in the company suggests Funk is going to be a bigger deal for you than in real life, and I'm on board with that. Again, intrigued with where you will go with this, but this is another great little nod to what was going on at the time. Guys doing promos and then we have to wait for a response is something that pretty much disappears in a year or so's time, so I appreciated it here.
Big Sid was a mental character in 1996, and I loved it. The whole talking to himself and shouting like mad during promos, it was great stuff. I liked that idea of him wanting to see all the faces of those who love Shawn Michaels only so he can disappoint them at the Rumble, that's good stuff. How you use Sid post Rumble is going to be a real big part of the thread for me, as I think he's such a great character to use in this timeframe. Do something awesome with him.
Ugh, Honky Tonk Man. I couldn't stand him as a kid, which I know is not the worse trait for a heel, but I thought he was just awful, especially that spell in 1997 when he was looking for a protégé and came up with Rockabilly. With you having him involved you obviously have something in mind for him, but I won't say I'm looking forward to it.
Mero gets a solid win over Lawler, who had a great ability at this time for losing matches but always being able to regain his heat with mouth afterwards. Mero clearly the one needing the win to keep him strong for the showdown with Helmsley, so another sensible booking decision. The post match with Helmsley and Perfect was fine, got them some decent heat with the tease of the attack on Sable. I like that Perfect is sticking around, I thought that partnership with him and Helmsley had a lot more potential that what played out, so looking forward to seeing how you develop them and if an in-ring return is ever on the cards for Perfect.
So if I remember right, Owen and Bulldog were due for a breakup ahead of WrestleMania but due to the real life injuries and what have you, those plans were shelved in real life. So it makes sense if you're going to pull the trigger on it. Again, liked the idea of someone phoning into the show, and liked the idea of Ross and McMahon niggling away at him over the tension between the two of them. Another little intriguing segment that keeps that story ticking over nicely.
The Godwinns and The Headbangers would never be a great match, certainly not the main event, but with the big Bret interview to come, it again shows how big that opening match was as that was clearly match of the night for me. Nothing special in this, I don't remember The Headbangers being heels at this point, but I liked how they cheated to win, gives their character a little twist. The tag division outside of Owen and Bulldog was so weak at this time, especially since Furnas and LaFon didn't pan out the way they wanted, so looking forward to seeing who steps up as the next challengers for the champions. And will we see The Legion of Doom return soon like they did in real life?
Great stuff with the Bret interview, liked the idea of him calling Shawn "Cinderella" and saying that he would teach Shawn some humility. Almost feel like we could see Shawn and Bret at WrestleMania 13 but without the title, just let them have a brutal blood match like Bret/Austin. The staredown from Shawn at the end builds the tension nicely, and going off the air without a retort from 'HBK' is another smart decision. Like I said earlier, it's nice to build the anticipation for the response sometimes instead of just getting straight into a back and forth.
Overall, an enjoyable episode of Raw. Some very smart booking decisions throughout and things seems to be moving along with regards to the Rumble. A lot of possibilities as to where you could take things, looking forward to seeing where it all goes.
As for Superstars, I can't begin to express how disappointed I am to see Honky Tonk Man back out here. The sooner this nonsense is over the better for me.
Anyway, what a time to be alive, a Bart Gunn match that lasted ten minutes! No chance he's beating Helmsley though, especially not with the gold on the line. I suppose my only gripe would be that Helmsley needed Billy's distraction to get the win, but that's not a major issue. Mero having something to say about what happened on Raw is expected, although the beatdown postmatch wasn't. Obviously a blow off beating The Gunn's is coming, although I don't know what role Holly and Double J have to play in it all.
Does this mean we are adding Honky Tonk into the mix with Cornette and Sunny to see who will be Rocky's manager!?
See, this is what I'm here for. Squashes a plenty! Good wins for Bradshaw and then Flash Funk later on. Solid, if unspectacular stuff from those two bouts.
Makes sense to hear from Kama, although I thought it was interesting you said he was decked out in the uniformed colours, makes me wonder if Crush has fallen in line as well and is dressing in similar fashion.
More tension building between Owen and Bulldog, definitely feels like Davey Boy is turning face soon with his comments about being upset with Owen and Austin targeting Bret in the fashion they did. I suppose I wonder who would takes the straps from them, but we'll worry about that later. This was another good step along in this story, and I'm sure the match with the AAA guys will be similar.
Wow, TL Hopper. The very definition of the jobber with a profession era. A bit of a dud match, and I hope that bit about Cornette berating Hopper after the match means you'll be moving James E. onto someone more prominent. He's such a great manager, he was really wasted in the company being associated with these nobodies around this time.
And a final smart booking decision to have Owen have to cheat to get the win so he and Bulldog can retain the titles. A decent showing for Cibernetico and Pierroth, good for international relations to help the AAA look strong ahead of their various Royal Rumble appearances. I suppose another minor gripe would be did we need Furnas and LaFon here, along with the Slammy shot from Owen? I get it, you're building something with Furnas, LaFon and the AAA guys, but this was maybe a little too much. Also means we've opened and ended this show with outside interference costing the faces and saving titles for the heels. A nitpick from me, but I don't think we needed Furnas and LaFon here.
I think this has been a really good week of TV, a lot of stuff progressed and moved along, especially things like Owen/Bulldog, Helmsley/Mero and of course Bret/Shawn. Sid was perhaps a little in the background this week given he only had a promo, but I'm sure he'll be more featured as we get closer to San Antonio. Good stuff, really enjoying this so far!
Opening with Mero going over Sincere was fine. Story here is Mero this time being prepared for an attack from Triple H and being able to fend him off. Other part to this which wasn’t explained, but I like the idea of deciding to leave Sable at home or in the back after she was almost Pedigreed last week. Looking forward to seeing how this Triple H and Perfect partnership continues to advance also.
The Latin Lover stuff you’re going with at the moment is fun, and I don’t mind you giving Sincere something to do.
Thumbs up on nominating Goldust as Flash Funk’s first opponent as opposed to somebody non important. Have enjoyed the promos and interactions between these two so far.
Not sure if I was the only one who just couldn’t stand Jose Lothario during this time. Hoping Sid messes Jose and his son up tonight.
Shawn/Bret promo was fun, covering a lot of the stuff they’d say against each other in real life at this time. Still hoping you’ll run with these two at Mania. Sid beating up the Lotharios makes him a mega babyface in my book, and is also a smart way to prevent Shawn and Bret from coming to blows to early.
A nice development here with Zeb costing Bradshaw the match. Bradshaw going nuts afterwards works, intrigued to see what his next interaction with Windham is like after this.
Trying not to echo the sentiments of imac here so will just say I hope you find a way to make The Honkey Tonk Man’s appearances add value… And no, Rockabilly is not value lol.
Caribbean strap match being confirmed for Vega and The Sultan works.
Love me some Don Callis/Cyrus/Jackyl. Looking forward to seeing how you use The Jackyl in here.
Smart to give Kama some mic time to explain why he joined The Nation. It’s always very important to understand a character’s motivation. Eventual brawl with Ahmed and D’Lo was solid enough to continue to advance this. Expecting chaos and carnage when Ahmed and Kama do battle at the first ever Shotgun.
I’m never going to be disappointed with another Bret/Owen match being announced. Makes sense with Owen recently happy to just let Bret get Pillmanized to.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the main event was booked. For me, this should have been the big blow off, the final Taker/Mankind encounter, so for it to end with interference, and The Undertaker in trouble until the interference favored him wasn’t the right move, imo. I am curious by Austin’s motivation to helping Taker win as opposed to letting Mankind beat him up though. All that being said, Austin/Taker at RR is HUGE.
Things are still tracking along nicely in here, good stuff.
The Latin Lover stuff you’re going with at the moment is fun, and I don’t mind you giving Sincere something to do.
Thumbs up on nominating Goldust as Flash Funk’s first opponent as opposed to somebody non important. Have enjoyed the promos and interactions between these two so far.
Not sure if I was the only one who just couldn’t stand Jose Lothario during this time. Hoping Sid messes Jose and his son up tonight.
Shawn/Bret promo was fun, covering a lot of the stuff they’d say against each other in real life at this time. Still hoping you’ll run with these two at Mania. Sid beating up the Lotharios makes him a mega babyface in my book, and is also a smart way to prevent Shawn and Bret from coming to blows to early.
A nice development here with Zeb costing Bradshaw the match. Bradshaw going nuts afterwards works, intrigued to see what his next interaction with Windham is like after this.
Trying not to echo the sentiments of imac here so will just say I hope you find a way to make The Honkey Tonk Man’s appearances add value… And no, Rockabilly is not value lol.
Caribbean strap match being confirmed for Vega and The Sultan works.
Love me some Don Callis/Cyrus/Jackyl. Looking forward to seeing how you use The Jackyl in here.
Smart to give Kama some mic time to explain why he joined The Nation. It’s always very important to understand a character’s motivation. Eventual brawl with Ahmed and D’Lo was solid enough to continue to advance this. Expecting chaos and carnage when Ahmed and Kama do battle at the first ever Shotgun.
I’m never going to be disappointed with another Bret/Owen match being announced. Makes sense with Owen recently happy to just let Bret get Pillmanized to.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the main event was booked. For me, this should have been the big blow off, the final Taker/Mankind encounter, so for it to end with interference, and The Undertaker in trouble until the interference favored him wasn’t the right move, imo. I am curious by Austin’s motivation to helping Taker win as opposed to letting Mankind beat him up though. All that being said, Austin/Taker at RR is HUGE.
Things are still tracking along nicely in here, good stuff.
- Marc Mero vs Salvatore Sincere
I’m always a proponent of easy TV wins as a means to boost up an exciting young talent. Also popped for the Latin Lover angle, I think your use of AAA talent has been tremendous across the board. Like to see the clear progression in Mero learning from previous encounters with HHH too.
Looking forward to Shotgun Saturday Night. Such a unique format that was too much of a headache to be worth it in real life, but could be a ton of fun in fantasy booking. Flash Funk/2 Cold also deserved better than he got, and I trust your booking to smoke how he was handled in real life.
- HBK/Hart/Sid segment
Really liked this whole thing. Shawn comes off sympathetic, Bret is somewhere in the middle depending who you are, and Sid doesn’t look like an afterthought which there’s always a risk of when you put guys like Shawn and Bret around him. Worked in all aspects for me.
- Windham vs Bradshaw
As much as I’d love this match in real life, it served its purpose here. Love to see Bradshaw go off the rails, hope it’s leading to more for him.
The Jackyl was good, but The Truth Commission was not. I trust you have much better plans for him lol.
Felt like the Nation segment was pretty uneventful, but it set up another big match for the Shotgun premiere. I’m a little suspicious of babyface D’Lo but I’m ready to see where he’s heading.
- Undertaker vs Mankind
I’m definitely left with more questions than answers here, and that’s fine. Austin’s involvement was a bit weird but it’s obviously heading somewhere. If I have a complaint, it’s that I’m not sure either Taker or Mankind comes out of this match in a better place than they were before it. But again, this whole thing is clearly headed somewhere and I’m excited to see where. Plus Austin vs Taker at the Rumble is major. Wonder if we see both of them in the Rumble itself as well…
Anyway, very strong episode of RAW! Building to a lot of major events at once is always a lot to juggle but I think it was done well here. Keep up the good work!
I’m always a proponent of easy TV wins as a means to boost up an exciting young talent. Also popped for the Latin Lover angle, I think your use of AAA talent has been tremendous across the board. Like to see the clear progression in Mero learning from previous encounters with HHH too.
Looking forward to Shotgun Saturday Night. Such a unique format that was too much of a headache to be worth it in real life, but could be a ton of fun in fantasy booking. Flash Funk/2 Cold also deserved better than he got, and I trust your booking to smoke how he was handled in real life.
- HBK/Hart/Sid segment
Really liked this whole thing. Shawn comes off sympathetic, Bret is somewhere in the middle depending who you are, and Sid doesn’t look like an afterthought which there’s always a risk of when you put guys like Shawn and Bret around him. Worked in all aspects for me.
- Windham vs Bradshaw
As much as I’d love this match in real life, it served its purpose here. Love to see Bradshaw go off the rails, hope it’s leading to more for him.
The Jackyl was good, but The Truth Commission was not. I trust you have much better plans for him lol.
Felt like the Nation segment was pretty uneventful, but it set up another big match for the Shotgun premiere. I’m a little suspicious of babyface D’Lo but I’m ready to see where he’s heading.
- Undertaker vs Mankind
I’m definitely left with more questions than answers here, and that’s fine. Austin’s involvement was a bit weird but it’s obviously heading somewhere. If I have a complaint, it’s that I’m not sure either Taker or Mankind comes out of this match in a better place than they were before it. But again, this whole thing is clearly headed somewhere and I’m excited to see where. Plus Austin vs Taker at the Rumble is major. Wonder if we see both of them in the Rumble itself as well…
Anyway, very strong episode of RAW! Building to a lot of major events at once is always a lot to juggle but I think it was done well here. Keep up the good work!
I have to be honest, I marked out for Flash Funk dancing with all the people inside the club for some reason…
Godwinn’s over Headbangers is logically fine, but I would have preferred something else here. This is the first episode of a brand new, highly promoted show, which is supposed to cross boundaries and be extra risqué, at least for the first few weeks it was on anyway, and we open with Godwinns/Headbangers? Just feels like a really underwhelming, uneventful start to the show. Nothing wrong with Godwinn’s winning and Hillbilly Jim’s promo, just think the positioning on the show could have been different.
Flash’s promo on Goldust was both solid and in character. Good hype for their match tonight.
Sunny recruiting Billy to try and defeat Rocky works here and plays on their history that you mentioned nicely. A good win for Rocky here. I must admit, I got concerned when I saw Honky Tonk Man coming out for this match, so hoping he doesn’t get involved with either Rocky or Billy.
Sunny’s rant when she rejoined McMahon makes it seems like she’ll continue to try and find talent to take down Rocky in the future. This should be fun, I’m all for it.
Goldust/Funk getting a good amount of time makes me happy. Ending felt very shot gun, with WWF trying to push the envelope with Marlena revealing ‘DEM TITTIES’. Based on the ending, fully expect this feud to continue, with Flash gunning for them now he’s lost his unbeaten record. Works for me as I’ve enjoyed this program so far. Good stuff.
Kama is a bit player in all this, but he maybe could have done with a couple of wins to look at least semi important after his return. Instead, he drops this match to Ahmed right away and falls into lackey mode immediately. Don’t get me wrong, Ahmed always had to beat Kama here, but maybe Kama could have had a few wins before falling to Ahmed. Anyway, Johnson winning was fine, and the aftermath was very Shotgun, with D’Lo making the save leading to the eventual PRP on the car. Not a good night for the Nation, but a fun angle for sure.
Sunny strip tease equals ratings…
Outside of the opening match being what it was, I enjoyed the first episode of Shotgun. Was glad to see as the show went on, a few pushing the envelope type moments started to shine, because that was the initial idea for Shotgun.
………………………………….
I like the idea of D’Lo getting some time to shine on his own, with a nice win here as well as a solid promo. Sounds like we’ll be getting a D’Lo/Faarooq match at some point based on the challenge, which seems logical.
Triple H was always beating FJF here, although making it a contest because Triple H was worried about Mero appearing was great character work. Perfect reaction to what’s happened previously. Mic work from Perfect and Mero were both completely solid, but the story here was how nervous the IC Champ was. Good job.
Austin promo here was well written and definitely in character. Loved the insults to Kevin Kelly, as well as the line about slapping the undead make up off of The Undertaker’s face. Epic. I guess the justification here on Austin attacking Undertaker, and then Mankind is that he’s basically targeting everybody because it’s Rumble season? I think that works, especially for his character, so glad we got some sort of explanation.
Jesse James and Holly getting the win here to continue to solidify themselves as a team is a smart move. The New Rockers rummaging through their bags and mocking them is a fun angle, and a match between these two teams will be good. Smart to have some tag team programs going that don’t necessarily involve the tag titles. Keeps the division strong.
I thought the Bart Gunn insert promo was nice hype for the encounter between the brothers on Raw. And Honkey Tonk Man can piss off…
Oh hey, Matt Hardy. But yes, Savio always winning here as Matt is nothing but a young jobber at this point. Attack from The Sultan afterwards with the strap keeps things rolling with that program too. Solid.
A big thumbs up for Uncle Zeb’s promo here. Added some genuine intrigue to what he’s going to reveal tomorrow night on Raw, so looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Sid > Aldo is fine, and Sid deciding not to speak, but let out some manic laughter straight into ultra seriousness is the most Sid thing ever… And I’m here for it. Not a big time match or anything, but cool to end the show with the champion looking as strong as ever.
Another solid edition of Superstars here.
Godwinn’s over Headbangers is logically fine, but I would have preferred something else here. This is the first episode of a brand new, highly promoted show, which is supposed to cross boundaries and be extra risqué, at least for the first few weeks it was on anyway, and we open with Godwinns/Headbangers? Just feels like a really underwhelming, uneventful start to the show. Nothing wrong with Godwinn’s winning and Hillbilly Jim’s promo, just think the positioning on the show could have been different.
Flash’s promo on Goldust was both solid and in character. Good hype for their match tonight.
Sunny recruiting Billy to try and defeat Rocky works here and plays on their history that you mentioned nicely. A good win for Rocky here. I must admit, I got concerned when I saw Honky Tonk Man coming out for this match, so hoping he doesn’t get involved with either Rocky or Billy.
Sunny’s rant when she rejoined McMahon makes it seems like she’ll continue to try and find talent to take down Rocky in the future. This should be fun, I’m all for it.
Goldust/Funk getting a good amount of time makes me happy. Ending felt very shot gun, with WWF trying to push the envelope with Marlena revealing ‘DEM TITTIES’. Based on the ending, fully expect this feud to continue, with Flash gunning for them now he’s lost his unbeaten record. Works for me as I’ve enjoyed this program so far. Good stuff.
Kama is a bit player in all this, but he maybe could have done with a couple of wins to look at least semi important after his return. Instead, he drops this match to Ahmed right away and falls into lackey mode immediately. Don’t get me wrong, Ahmed always had to beat Kama here, but maybe Kama could have had a few wins before falling to Ahmed. Anyway, Johnson winning was fine, and the aftermath was very Shotgun, with D’Lo making the save leading to the eventual PRP on the car. Not a good night for the Nation, but a fun angle for sure.
Sunny strip tease equals ratings…
Outside of the opening match being what it was, I enjoyed the first episode of Shotgun. Was glad to see as the show went on, a few pushing the envelope type moments started to shine, because that was the initial idea for Shotgun.
………………………………….
I like the idea of D’Lo getting some time to shine on his own, with a nice win here as well as a solid promo. Sounds like we’ll be getting a D’Lo/Faarooq match at some point based on the challenge, which seems logical.
Triple H was always beating FJF here, although making it a contest because Triple H was worried about Mero appearing was great character work. Perfect reaction to what’s happened previously. Mic work from Perfect and Mero were both completely solid, but the story here was how nervous the IC Champ was. Good job.
Austin promo here was well written and definitely in character. Loved the insults to Kevin Kelly, as well as the line about slapping the undead make up off of The Undertaker’s face. Epic. I guess the justification here on Austin attacking Undertaker, and then Mankind is that he’s basically targeting everybody because it’s Rumble season? I think that works, especially for his character, so glad we got some sort of explanation.
Jesse James and Holly getting the win here to continue to solidify themselves as a team is a smart move. The New Rockers rummaging through their bags and mocking them is a fun angle, and a match between these two teams will be good. Smart to have some tag team programs going that don’t necessarily involve the tag titles. Keeps the division strong.
I thought the Bart Gunn insert promo was nice hype for the encounter between the brothers on Raw. And Honkey Tonk Man can piss off…
Oh hey, Matt Hardy. But yes, Savio always winning here as Matt is nothing but a young jobber at this point. Attack from The Sultan afterwards with the strap keeps things rolling with that program too. Solid.
A big thumbs up for Uncle Zeb’s promo here. Added some genuine intrigue to what he’s going to reveal tomorrow night on Raw, so looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Sid > Aldo is fine, and Sid deciding not to speak, but let out some manic laughter straight into ultra seriousness is the most Sid thing ever… And I’m here for it. Not a big time match or anything, but cool to end the show with the champion looking as strong as ever.
Another solid edition of Superstars here.
Sunny dancing on the table to get things rolling for Shotgun sounds good to me.
James and Holly getting a good win over The New Rockers here. Again, not a real risqué opening, which is kind of what I’d like from Shotgun to set the tone and keep the audience engaged for the rest of the show. Have them wonder what they will see next. I don’t expect James and Holly to make a real splash in the division, but this was a good win for them. Aftermath and the attack says they might meet again.
I’m not overly big on Todd Pettingill trying to interview wrestlers mid match though tbh. Just seems like an annoyance more than anything. And I think I’ve already made my thoughts on The Honkey Tonk Man pretty well known, and that doesn’t change here.
LOL Headbangers not being able to get into the club because of the dress code is all kinds of awesome. Good stuff.
Triple H being not thrilled with needing to be in New York and a club in general suits his character perfectly, as does Perfect dusting off his chair. Promo was fine, solid hype towards the Mero/Triple H stuff.
I think their might have been an error here as you talk about Mero’s match with Brawler but it’s not here. The aftermath with Mero and Perfect exchanging throwing drinks on each other was nice. Really good stuff to hype the Mero/Triple H program tonight.
Salvatore Sincere getting women is just fun. I enjoy this.
I don’t have a lot to say about the trios match and the Mexicans. A good showcase for them I guess, and some promo time for Canek as well. Cool.
Mero promo hyping an eventual Sable return and the upcoming match with Triple H was fine. Also tag match on Raw sounds like a good one with the inclusions of Funk and Goldust.
Homeless Volkoff? Definitely unexpected. I’ll withhold judgment and see where it goes but I’m at least intrigued.
Love Sunny basically being jealous of Marlena and trying to steal the show tonight with the strip tease. Fun stuff, and the arm-wrestling match next week should be fun.
I think I’ve mentioned previously I’ve enjoyed Latin Lover outdoing Sincere with the women, so enjoyed this segment again. Assuming we’ll get some sort of lower card match between these two at some point, but I’ll continue to enjoy these situations until then.
Undertaker over Sincere was always going to happen here. Logical booking to keep him strong heading to the Rumble, and Latin Lover appearing continues that fun angle as well.
Solid episode of Shotgun here…
…
Superstars time…Garza and Guerrera would have been a pretty good match for sure, getting the fans engaged with some good stuff. Could have gone with either guy winning here so good stuff.
Jim Cornette promo to further his issues with Rocky here was good to continue the issues here. Bit of a warning really. On that note, Cornette unleashing Vader on Rocky is HUGE. Not entirely sure how this pans out from here, as I don’t think Rocky’s ready to beat Vader, but I didn’t expect him to lose so soon. Vader’s awesome though so glad to see him be in a somewhat high profile angle. Interested to see how it finishes.
I didn’t really appreciate the Roberts run. The Snake’s promo was solid enough to continue his issues with The Sultan. Him entering the Rumble is fine, but I’d be happy with Sultan just squashing Roberts tbh. Didn’t really enjoy his run at this time, but him coming back for revenge at this point makes sense logically.
Curtis Hughes being utilised as another one of the fodder members of The Nation is a nice way to use some unexpected talent, so props for that. Characters being used differently is what I love to look for when I’m reading BTB. Faarooq’s promo on the Rumble was solid enough, with the challenge to white face being interesting. Good job.
I’m down for a squash win for Flash Funk. Marlena distracting Funk was good and Goldust attacking and then failing is fine continuation of their issues, and hype for the Raw tag match. No complaints from me.
Loving these Jackyl promos. Can’t wait until he shows up. Hoping he’s got Mike Awesome with him, tbh.
Good win for Furnas and LaFon over the Mexican team. Pretty good stuff.
Billy Gunn promo on Bart was fine. Enjoying the fact you haven’t rushed the blow off for that program, making it feel important. Barry playing the generic role sticking up for what is right is fine, and Gunn taking him out means they’ll probably fight soon. A good way to keep Billy busy until Bart is ready to go.
Vader was ALWAYS beating Henry Godwinn. Right call.
Headbangers attacking Phineas builds heat, but I’m not overly interested in an angle between these two teams.
More solidness here.
James and Holly getting a good win over The New Rockers here. Again, not a real risqué opening, which is kind of what I’d like from Shotgun to set the tone and keep the audience engaged for the rest of the show. Have them wonder what they will see next. I don’t expect James and Holly to make a real splash in the division, but this was a good win for them. Aftermath and the attack says they might meet again.
I’m not overly big on Todd Pettingill trying to interview wrestlers mid match though tbh. Just seems like an annoyance more than anything. And I think I’ve already made my thoughts on The Honkey Tonk Man pretty well known, and that doesn’t change here.
LOL Headbangers not being able to get into the club because of the dress code is all kinds of awesome. Good stuff.
Triple H being not thrilled with needing to be in New York and a club in general suits his character perfectly, as does Perfect dusting off his chair. Promo was fine, solid hype towards the Mero/Triple H stuff.
I think their might have been an error here as you talk about Mero’s match with Brawler but it’s not here. The aftermath with Mero and Perfect exchanging throwing drinks on each other was nice. Really good stuff to hype the Mero/Triple H program tonight.
Salvatore Sincere getting women is just fun. I enjoy this.
I don’t have a lot to say about the trios match and the Mexicans. A good showcase for them I guess, and some promo time for Canek as well. Cool.
Mero promo hyping an eventual Sable return and the upcoming match with Triple H was fine. Also tag match on Raw sounds like a good one with the inclusions of Funk and Goldust.
Homeless Volkoff? Definitely unexpected. I’ll withhold judgment and see where it goes but I’m at least intrigued.
Love Sunny basically being jealous of Marlena and trying to steal the show tonight with the strip tease. Fun stuff, and the arm-wrestling match next week should be fun.
I think I’ve mentioned previously I’ve enjoyed Latin Lover outdoing Sincere with the women, so enjoyed this segment again. Assuming we’ll get some sort of lower card match between these two at some point, but I’ll continue to enjoy these situations until then.
Undertaker over Sincere was always going to happen here. Logical booking to keep him strong heading to the Rumble, and Latin Lover appearing continues that fun angle as well.
Solid episode of Shotgun here…
…
Superstars time…Garza and Guerrera would have been a pretty good match for sure, getting the fans engaged with some good stuff. Could have gone with either guy winning here so good stuff.
Jim Cornette promo to further his issues with Rocky here was good to continue the issues here. Bit of a warning really. On that note, Cornette unleashing Vader on Rocky is HUGE. Not entirely sure how this pans out from here, as I don’t think Rocky’s ready to beat Vader, but I didn’t expect him to lose so soon. Vader’s awesome though so glad to see him be in a somewhat high profile angle. Interested to see how it finishes.
I didn’t really appreciate the Roberts run. The Snake’s promo was solid enough to continue his issues with The Sultan. Him entering the Rumble is fine, but I’d be happy with Sultan just squashing Roberts tbh. Didn’t really enjoy his run at this time, but him coming back for revenge at this point makes sense logically.
Curtis Hughes being utilised as another one of the fodder members of The Nation is a nice way to use some unexpected talent, so props for that. Characters being used differently is what I love to look for when I’m reading BTB. Faarooq’s promo on the Rumble was solid enough, with the challenge to white face being interesting. Good job.
I’m down for a squash win for Flash Funk. Marlena distracting Funk was good and Goldust attacking and then failing is fine continuation of their issues, and hype for the Raw tag match. No complaints from me.
Loving these Jackyl promos. Can’t wait until he shows up. Hoping he’s got Mike Awesome with him, tbh.
Good win for Furnas and LaFon over the Mexican team. Pretty good stuff.
Billy Gunn promo on Bart was fine. Enjoying the fact you haven’t rushed the blow off for that program, making it feel important. Barry playing the generic role sticking up for what is right is fine, and Gunn taking him out means they’ll probably fight soon. A good way to keep Billy busy until Bart is ready to go.
Vader was ALWAYS beating Henry Godwinn. Right call.
Headbangers attacking Phineas builds heat, but I’m not overly interested in an angle between these two teams.
More solidness here.
