IMPACT: I am a few episodes behind on IMPACT, until I get caught up it would be disingenuous of me to give commentary. Once caught up, the commentary will begin.
NXT: The same must be said for NXT, a few broadcasts behind and I have yet to watch NXT TAKEOVER: BROOKLYN II. Once caught up, I will comment.
I am up to speed on all Main Roster WWE events, and on the CWC. Due to issues with my cable and internet connectivity (all cleared up now) I was unable to watch RAW, SD LIVE or the CWC timely. So I didn’t comment on those last week. My thoughts on those for last week and this week are included here.
One last note, I originally planned for the monthly piece to be the last Friday of each month, after the PPV. Now I will post the EOM between the 1st and 3rd of the following month, which makes more sense with a new bi-weekly PPV schedule.
Okay, notes done, onto the commentary!
CWC
I can’t wait for the Cruiserweights to shine on RAW and hope this tournament becomes a yearly staple. If you don’t have the WWE Network, the CWC IS the REASON to have it.
How the hell TJ Perkins, Tony Nese, Drew Gulack, Zack Sabre, Jr and Jack Gallaher have never been in the WWE is a joke.
If you are about being the top league and only having the best, then why aren’t the best in your league?
SUMMERSLAM!!
At best it was an above average show. For what I heard it wasn’t even the best WWE Produced show that weekend. SummerSlam had what looked to be a really good card, the show itself had great energy and a few great moments . . . but it didn’t quiet come off as good as it should have.The first misstep was placing the Sheamus/Cesar match on the Pre-Show. Why invest in this feud and a best of seven series and bury it in the pre-show? The next misstep was Enzo. The Woman’s Title and the Cena/Styles matches were too early in the show. One of them should have closed the show.
The final misstep was Lesnar versus Orton. Why build up a match like this and have it go this way, especially if you put it on as the closer? How much more can Lesnar be built up? This was right on par with Lesnar v Cena as the worst main event I have ever seen.
The Highlights of SummerSlam? Charlotte versus Sasha for the Title was Epic. Unlike many, I wasn’t surprised that Charlotte won, in fact I picked her.
I also picked Styles over Cena in the Match of the Night.
Over all SummerSlam ranks a 6.
RAW
My first line to this piece was this ‘Wrestling fans, this was definitely a rollercoaster of an August.’ That is one-hundred percent true. The problem is RAW was continuously the thundering downward slopes of the Rollercoaster.
Did RAW have its Highlights? Sure (mostly Heath Slater appearances), but more lowlights then highs. Piss Poor show after piss poor show, talents still being under used. The biggest thing RAW had going for it was the arrival and push of Finn Balor.
Finn Balor, who quickly made his way into the title scene, and become champ at SummerSlam! This was to be the turning point for the New Era, but the curse of Rollins struck again.
We just started a New Era for RAW with the Draft, and it seemed we would have to start over again.
The post-SummerSlam RAW (8/22/2016) was another piss poor show, but that can be forgiving due to the injury to Finn Balor. No one foresaw that. Any plans they had for Balor, the Universal Title and the general direction for RAW as a whole, had to be scrapped.
What can’t be forgiven is the deliberate choice to put Big Cass into the title scene – in no way should he be there at this point.
Then there was this past RAW (8/29), which is best put this way: ¾ of Lameness, 1/8 Good, and 1/8 Epic.
Truth be told, if you haven’t watched RAW yet, here is what you do: Watch the opening segment, skip the next two hours, then watch the main event.
Unless of course you want to see the ‘When Was I Great’ debacle starring Darrin Young, Howdy Dowdy and Titus ‘I’ve Forgotten the English Language’ O’Neil. Or how about the so-bad-its-good epic tale of how Gallows and Anderson used to be Doctors, but are now in the retirement business. Here’s thinking their career retired the day they signed with the WWE.
Nope, skip all that. In fact skip the entire month of RAW and just watch the Main event of the 8/29 RAW. Why? Because it was the Highlight of the Year.
Three things happened in the last five minutes of RAW. Three things that had to happen. This is finally the turning point that was needed, the shakeup that had to happen and hopefully the beginning of the true new era.
What are those three things?
- The Return of Hunter, in such a way that he essentially betrays Steph.
- The beginning of a Face turn for Rollings. It’s been coming, he’s too popular, and with Finn out, they need a top face.
- The KO show has truly begun.
Don’t screw this up (dare we have hope?).
SD LIVE!
Yeah SMACKDOWN. The best wrestling show produced for the USA network and basic cable. SD LIVE has been spanking RAW and been the better show since the Draft. RAW is the thundering downward slope, SD LIVE is that rising action reaching for the top of the track . . .
And now they have added two new titles.
YEAH! SD LIVE WOMAN TITLE: A first SD LIVE Woman’s champion will be crowned in a six pack challenge at SD LIVE excusive PPV BACKLASH!
YEAH! SD LIVE TAG TITLES: Yeah. The first SD LIVE Tag Team Champions will be crowned in a tournament final to be held at BACKLASH. The tournament includes American Alpha, Usos, Heath Slater and Rhyno and of course the Head Bangers!
The one good thing about the Brand Division is that SMACKDOWN is no longer the RAW Recap Show, and is back to being what it was once – the better of the two shows.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Except for Finn Balor’s SummerSlam moment and KO’s epic win, RAW has been SD LIVE’s bitch. To put it nicely.
Still, they really need to step up and do what they promised. So far they haven’t. The choice to put the Universal Title on Balor so soon was shocking, and shockingly short. KO was the right choice, and hopefully this is the move that will put RAW (and the WWE) on the map.
However, the return of the Head Bangers is proof of how the Brand Split is failing. Wasn’t this New Era about moving forward, pushing new talent and having a roster so big they HAD to split it? If all that is true and the Roster is that big, then why bring in the Head Bangers?
What, The Revival is lost in the ‘80’s?
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