Wrestling is a strange product. Just when you think, "My God, they've completely lost their way," the WWE manages to shock you.
I'll be honest in that I knew that award was a joke. I actually thought they were going to give it to HHH and then have Roman come out and hit him with a chair again, or something. I just didn't think it was legitimate. Especially not the way they were hyping it. And if it was real, I was certain that the recipient would be Daniel Bryan. Detroit would have popped hard for him.
But that's not what happened. Instead, we have some self congratulating from Vince then he introduces the recipient, Stephanie. Let me say this, she is BRILLIANT as a heel. She speaks well, she's powerful, and when she loses it and her voice gets all shrill, she's AMAZING! But I think the problem with Stephanie is that she never seems to get what she deserves. Don't tell me that she watched her dad and husband get beat up. Please. Her husband is a wrestler and her dad owns a wrestling company and was once involved in hardcore matches with her brother. There's a certain amount of her family getting beat up that she has to expect. I don't feel like that's a punishment. In the past she suffered a Rock Bottom and a Stunner, but this is the PG era and they don't do that anymore.
With all that said, this was the perfect foil to Stephanie. And the motivation for Shane to come back totally makes sense! It's brilliant, actually. Stephanie, in the ring to accept the award, when all the sudden "HERE COMES THE MONEY" blasts from the speakers and the audience quickly loses their minds and Vince and Steph sell the shock as only two veterans like them could. Shane comes out, does his little dance (and I'll ignore the goofy shoes because he's Shane and can do whatever the fuck he wants), and the crowd is just so into it. It's probably the most I've seen a crowd into something since Daniel Bryan turned on the Wyatt's. I think it even stunned Shane. You could actually see him visibly react to the reaction.
As for this segment, Shane hinted that there was something that Steph didn't know, that she was only in charge because he allowed her to be, and that if Shane wins, it could be huge. But Shane vs. the Undertaker? Not sure how I feel about that. I can't see them allowing Taker to lose, but hinting at something new on the horizon, with Shane in charge, a baby-face manager of Raw, hints at all the right things. I know Vince will still be in control (it's not real to me, dammit), but the fact that Shane is back is awesome.
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Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar in a street fight sounds like it could be amazing! I figure Brock is probably gone after WM for a while. I put my money on Dean winning this round, but I also see Dean getting the shit beaten out of him up until that time. I think the psychology of that is just that Dean can take the beating, the punishment, to a higher degree than even Roman. If he conquers the beast, then he's on track to be a top dog. I could see him and Reigns have a helluva feud, especially once Roman has the title. And they should put that title on Ambrose at Summerslam and have him lose it only to Rollins. Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. Reigns is where the real money is. And I could totally see a reunion of the Shield by Wrestlmania 33. Although, they would post-pone that until the big WM at 35. That's not that far away and who knows what kind of road these guys will have by then.
But I think Dean going over Lesnar doesn't hurt Lesnar but only helps Ambrose.
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Charlotte vs. Becky vs. Sasha should be the match at Wrestlmania, but if that's not it, then it should be Charlotte vs. Sasha with Sasha going over at WM. Sasha and Becky are awesome, and I can tell that Charlotte is doing a great job as a heel given how much I don't like her. I like her less than I liked Nikki and that's saying something.
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I really wish they would premier Cas and Enzo before WM. I would love to see some promo battles between them and the New Day. In fact, it's sad when I'm not excited to see The New Day anymore. I just don't feel like they have a credible foe. I don't consider anyone on the roster, at the moment, as the ones to bring them down and put them in their place. It's time for some new blood, some new feuds. And I think Cas and Enzo are exactly what the tag team division needs.
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Please disband the League of Unextrodinary Gentlemen. That group isn't doing any of those guys a bit of good. It's not like the Social Outcasts, who actually kind of need each other as it gives those guys something to do. Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, Barrett, and even Sheamus are all big enough stars in the singles arena that they don't need to be in a group. Their purpose was to put over Roman. Mission was accomplished for like a week. But now they're hanging together with no specific purpose.
And how long must Rusev and Lana be punished? They saved all of us from a horrific story line. No one cared. In fact, most people were happy for Rusev and Lana because, and this is the truth, we're not as fucking stupid as the writers for WWE would like us to be. This isn't Dawson's Creek. The only time people on this show care about couples is when the chick screws the guy out of a win. That's when they're interesting. You had something so good with Lana, as she reminded me of the love Sable used to get, and you just fucked that up because...actually not even sure of the reason!
And this is Barrett's last go! Get him out of that group and let him have a few matches where he excels on his own! Two years ago, I watched a match between Barrett and Ziggler that I remembered thinking was an awesome match 8 months after it happened. And it was on Raw. It's not like it was a big PPV match. But they both looked excellent. Barrett has it in him. Let him show it.
And I have a hard time believing that Del Rio came back on board just to be stuck with a group. Yes, he had a run with the U.S. Belt. But that can't be all they have in mind. I like his feud with Calisto. I think their styles really mesh well. Have him go after the luchadores. I know people say leave the mask alone, but that's great heel heat. To me, he's really the only one that builds the heat he should be building as a bad guy.
And Sheamus...I don't care what happens to him. It's not that I dislike him, I'm just apathetic towards him and his character. Blech.
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So, HHH vs. Roman is actually happening. Roman spends ten minutes getting beaten up by the League only for HHH to come out with his hands wrapped, a REALLY tight t-shirt and jeans on, and we're supposed to be scared? Also, until I saw the video, I legit thought that Roman was bleeding of his own accord. Sometimes you don't want to know how the magic happens, you just want to enjoy it.
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Well, that's it. I actually think the award could have been saved for last as all I could think about the rest of Raw was the implication that Shane would be in Hell in a Cell with the Undertaker. But I guess it would have been too hard to hide him for three hours in the building. But I go back to, 'why would Taker want to be in this match?' It doesn't make any sense. And is Shane really the best option to figure against Taker? I'm sure Shane can probably keep up with Taker, as he has done a lot of stuff in the past that I never thought he would be capable of, but still...I just feel like there's going to be more to it.
So, that's all! Share you thoughts or comments below. I'm probably going to do a post about the problems with the Diva's revolution from a woman's perspective, but I'm going to really take some time to draft that all out.
Until next time, everyone!
photocredit to al.com
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