Of Marks And Men – RAW 10/14/19 Draft Pt. 2
New week, new slate of shows, this past Friday was the first half of the WWE draft, where some high profile performers were assigned their respective brands. As of right now RAW most certainly has the stronger roster. Tons of high skill talent.
I seriously hope they don’t do that stuuuuuupid “war room” stuff again, that was turrrrrrible, and only made the entire scenario seem so cheap. I also hope that they stop cutting away to their broadcast teams like Joe Buck, and Troy Aikman. I get that FOX is trying to make Smackdown seem more “sport oriented” which I do appreciate in some areas (Like the on screen graphics, and production quality) but trying to shoehorn “expert opinion” in from people who literally have ZERO idea what they are talking about is ridiculous to say the least. So without further ado lets get this ball rolling.
Side note: I don’t understand Tempation Island (show on immediately before RAW) what’s the point? Take my significant other to a tropical island in the hopes that they don’t cheat on me with a bunch of other people who are there solely to try and get them to cheat??? Sounds pretty ridiculous, I’m thinking all these people have serious issues. On the other hand, maybe that’s what makes for compelling T.V. potentially ruining peoples lives?
8:00 – What the fuck!!??!! Bray is on Smackdown now, why the hell are we opening RAW with him?? so much for no more crossovers. And to top, they are reliving the ridiculous “No DQ” HIAC match that ended in a DQ. For F’s sake.
8:03 – I’m such a mark for fireworks, shit just gets me pumped EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
8:04 – Becky Vs. Charlotte Flair, sucks that Sasha got injured at HIAC and can’t wrestle, as I love watching Becky and Sasha work together, but Charlotte is stupid good in the ring.
Wow that was a craptastic promo, maybe Charlotte went off script? or maybe the writer who came up with it is new, like their first day… “I want to be your friend… but you make it so hard to be your friend” I’ve seen Hallmark Christmas movies with more engaging dialogue than that.
8:15 – That Figure 4 head lock, knee smash, flip thingy that Charlotte did was pretty damn cool.
8:26 – I have said it 10,000 times, the women do a MUCH better job emoting, and talking trash to each other in the ring, they shit talk SO much more than the men, it adds to the matches, and I appreciate it so damn much. Charlotte’s facial expressions every time Becky kicked out made it so much more entertaining.
I REALLY wish WWE would let Becky lose, there was no reason for her not to lay down for Charlotte. They have to get over not letting their faces do the job, it makes it way to predictable, at no point did I feel that Charlotte was going to win clean.
8:30 – Sooooooo Seth is “Fiend Hunting” now??? what does that even mean??? I don’t quite understand what’s going on, they (mostly) ignore HIAC the Monday after, and now they are addressing it? sort of? maybe for one more week? I’m not quite sure…
8:36 – Whelp, we got John Kramer (Mad Money), and the War rooms….. fuck my life…. why…. just fucking why…..
8:37 – Seth Rollins to RAW – Obvious, top (Male) Face in the company, plus Becky is there and they are engaged, so no surprise.
Brock Lesnar to Smackdown – Good, bury him on Friday, at least I won’t have to see him twice a week anymore.
Charlotte Flair to RAW – This surprises me, on one hand I get it, putting her on Friday would be a waste, but obviously having her there would really impede Bayley’s heel turn. Bayley needs the opportunity to carry a division.
New Day to Smackdown – Not surprised, wildly popular, good faces for Smackdown, I’m sad that we won’t see a Kofi – AJ program but one can hope, and Of Course Xavier, and Big E are a top tag team.
Andrade to RAW – Literally no surprise, Andrade is in a relationship with Charlotte, and he is a prototypical Heyman type wrestler, and with Zelina being his manager It’s only a matter of time before Aleister Black gets the nod.
8:53 – Kabuki Warriors to RAW – Solid, since they are the Women’s champs they will be the only champs to crossover, I really like Asuka’s heel turn, it was definitely needed, and Kairi Sane is a fantastic tag team partner for her.
Daniel Bryan to Smackdown – Sad that he will be on Friday’s but with his new Face push, he has the ability to carry a brand (he’s done it) super talented, great on the mic, will get a TON of high profile bookings on Smackdown, where he would be almost surplus to requirement on RAW
Rusev to RAW – Not surprised because of the Lashley pick on Monday, big guy, got skill, he won’t ever be more than a mid card draw, but honestly you need a solid mid card in any promotion.
Bayley to Smackdown – Absolutely no surprise, won the belt on Friday, Heel turn to boot, and now it’s her time to carry a division, she has all the tools to do it, and hopefully creative treats her right over there.
Aleister Black – Whelp, see my comment above, it was only a matter of time, with that said I’m ridiculously happy to have him on RAW, he’s a different style talent capable of being a Top mid card (US Title) performer, and maybe we can get him and Ricochet back together as a tag team for a run as they were great together.
9:16 – Viking Raiders win the Belts!!!! Great move on multiple fronts for one: Roode and Ziggler need to be pushed as solo wrestlers, I’ve said it before Ziggler can be a top heel hopefully he goes to Smackdown as it would only allow him to be booked more on TV. Secondly: I’ve heard it before that solo wrestlers don’t generally like to be tag champs as they feel it diminishes the Tag Division, and takes away from dedicated Tag Teams who don’t get a lot of opportunities as it is.
9:23 – Cedric Alexander to RAW – Literally NO surprise, another prototypical Heyman guy, almost a 1 for 1 with Ricochet, Heyman will work wonders with him.
Shinsuke Nakamura to Smackdown – IC champ, no surprise, he is a solid heel, but he will get more time on Smackdown than he ever would on RAW, he’s had a hard enough time getting bookings as a title holder.
Humberto Carrillo to RAW – I like this, young, hungry, high skill, has tons of potential.
Ali to Smackdown – Great choice for Smackdown, he will benefit from more opportunities there, I LOVE his high flying “superhero” style, he would just be a small fish in a big pond on Monday, which would be a shame, as he deserves TV, and then eventually PPV bookings.
Erick Rowan to RAW – Honestly this surprises me, not a prototypical “Heyman” guy, but you need the occasional “Big Guy” He can work a decent match.
9:34 – Buddy Murphy to RAW – Not at all surprising, another athletic guy, a really talented mid card guy, might never get a Universal title, but could definitely challenge for a US belt.
Zigger and Roode to Smackdown – Thinking that they will eventually get solo pushes, and will do really well for themselves there, lots of potential for great angles with them.
Jinder Mahal to RAW – Haven’t seen much of him in a while (he was at NYCC a couple weeks ago) but he is a “big guy” that can WORK, I like this, capable of holding a title (which he has done) and handling high profile angles. I like him as a heel.
Carmella to Smackdown – Great move for her, she would always be third chair on RAW, she can really shine as a face on Smackdown, and have some nice matches with Bayley, I like how they are giving lower tier women the ability to shine on Friday’s so far.
R-Truth to RAW – what’s not to love here? R-Truth is hilarious, and can PERFORM when given the chance, he’s been around for a LONG time, and has actually given some “gravitas” to the 24-7 title.
9:56 – Oh for the LOVE OF GOD.. why??? just why???? can we please not, this angle fucking blows, it’s literally the WORST of the Attitude era, I hated it 20 years ago, and I hate it now. I feel so bad for Rusev, and Lashley (who’s married BTW) having to lower themselves to this smut just to get on T.V.
10:00 – Well that Strowman / Fury “contract signing” was about as craptacular as I thought it would be, the only benefit is that hopefully it’s a one off match and it will be over after Crown Jewel, I don’t think I could handle this as an extended feud, it’s everything that is wrong with WWE right now, well that and the aforementioned Lashley / Rusev Cuckolding angle.
10:11 – Samoa Joe to RAW – a “Big Man” with skill, great move, can hold a major title, really good tweener / heel, can play off Rollins REALLY well. I love this move.
The Miz To Smackdown – a popular face, but limited in the ring, will be a good fit on Smackdown, all flash no substance, but will get some good ring time there. He would be a nobody in Heyman’s RAW, which is why I’m sure he cut him loose
Akira Tozawa To RAW – Not much to say, former cruiserweight champ, another crazy talented dude, will be a great midcard performer.
King Corbin to Smackdown – This one upsets me, as there are so few in the modern WWE who just “Get It” Corbin is one of them, he is a phenomenal heel, although he will probably get far more time on Smackdown than RAW (possibly an almost weekly booking in some high profile angles) so in the end it may work out for him, I would LOVE to see him work with Daniel Bryan.
Shelton Benjamin to RAW – Absolutely ZERO surprise, love him. Love his ability.
10:23 – Buddy Murphy beats Cedric Alexander in a superb match, this is the future of RAW, and that future is bright for in ring action, I LOVE this roster so far, and can’t wait for the angles to start.
10:25 – Oh hell, here we go again, Rollins Vs. Bray at Crown Jewel, in a “Falls Count Anywhere” match, lord oh lord, hopefully they learned from HIAC, don’t book yourself into a corner, let Seth lose, but have Fiend vacate the belt. Please make this interesting because if you bomb it again you have officially buried Bray beyond recognition.
10:31 – Rey Mysterio to RAW – honestly at this point are we surprised? I’m gonna move on because, well, it’s Rey, there’s nothing to say.
Chad Gable to Smackdown – Happy that he can continue his feud with Corbin, as literally EVERY match has been incredible, and he will do well on Smackdown.
Titus O’neil to RAW – I like this, big guy, good motor, will be a midcard staple, will get some good bookings especially on fallout shows.
Elias to Smackdown – honestly I can understand this, not the type of guy that Heyman would want on the roster, he doesn’t do anything particularly well, he’s the Chicken Nugget of Superstar, sure it technically counts as food, but honestly there are 1000 better options.
Liv Morgan to RAW – Interesting…. She’s been due the repackage and we haven’t seen her in a bit so it will be interesting to see how she comes back. She can work for sure, and will be a solid “X” factor in the women’s division.
10:57 – Asuka and Kairi Sane defeat Lacey Evans, and Nattie, I love this version of Asuka, and I hope that the Lacey / Nattie tag team continues. I think Lacey has all the talent in the world, but she got brought up too soon, travelling, working and Learning from Nattie can only help her in the long run.
11:00 – Seth Literally “Burns It Down”, Bray played that last scene fantastically well, and the ONLY way this works is if they make Seth a heel, which frankly he needs to be, so hopefully they CAN polish a turd.
So while the Smackdown roster is solid, The RAW roster is where it’s at, tons of youth, tons of talent, and with the mind of Heyman pulling the strings, I can only imagine how good that show will look (as long as Vince stays the F out of it).
Until Wednesday Night Everyone!!!
Be Good to your Fellow Nerd,
Lou
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