Leave us your feedback on Monday’s Raw in Philadelphia following the Royal Rumble.
We will also announce the winner of the POST Wrestling “Royal Rumble Pool”.
RATE TONIGHT’S EPISODE OF RAW
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Carl from the U.K.
I have to applaud wwe for how they’ve booked Asuka, I was very very cynical when she was drafted. I think for any fan who enjoyed her tenure in nxt should feel very satisfied about the way she’s been handled on the main roster. she feels like the number 1 woman in the company. You can have her win the title at Wrestlemania and with the amount of women on the roster I really think you can get her all the way to Wrestlemania 35 until that massive 1st defeat whoever that be.
John you used the phrase unfuckable last week when talking about the raw 25 show well I’m gunna borrow that same phrase this week regarding the Matt Hardy woken character. Unfuckable so I thought… they’ve had 3 hours every week and they’ve given me nothing compelling about this character, give me some vignettes, give me a 20min reality show on the network with all the Hardy’s at the compound so far wwe’s version of this is dying and it’s dying quick.
Some really high callable matches on this episode easily a thumbs up edition.
1 Like
Lara from Vancouver
This was that close to being an excellent Raw until it became clear Rousey was not around to follow up on the huge cliffhanger from last night. Things then completely went off the rails with the honestly bizarre main event.
First, Gallows and Anderson make an entrance but then are never seen or heard from again. Then, the whole story seemed to be of a distracted Cena who was going to finally let the crowd get to him and lose as a result. Instead, he just won. Story ends up being Balor can’t even beat an extremely distracted Cena. All that time in the Rumble for ultimately nothing. Strange.
Jesse from the 6
Two title matches, a Last Man Standing Match, Banks vs. Asuka, and Balor vs. Cena; I guess the WWE really wanted to capitalize on the interest in Rousey’s appearance last night. That or they’re in contract negotiations with USA.
Some very good matches tonight and I was consistently entertained. But some of these matches would have meant a lot more with some actual build to them. Funny, people always call Vince McMahon the greatest wrestling promoter ever, but he doesn’t seem to know how to promote very well. Giving up first-ever matches away on free TV with no advertisement beforehand seems daft. But what do I know? I’m not a billionaire.
Both Rumble winners last night were not only people of colour, but foreigners whose English is heavily accented. This would have been unthinkable even five years ago. Do you think this is the result of a shit in the WWE’s/Vince’s views of who can be a top star or more the result of Japan producing unequaled numbers of high level performers? Or is it merely a testament to the individual charisma of Nakamura and Asuka?
Louis from Long Beach
For the Raw after Royal Rumble I have to say this was pretty underwhelming. Opening the show with 10 minutes of Stephanie is just as painful as always but on a positive note the heel turn for Sasha is well overdue as she’s so much better suited to work heel as demonstrated by the fantastic match she had with Asuka which was absolutely the only main event quality match of this show.
Braun vs Kane was short and to the point which was to give Braun another Hulk moment and to write Kane off to run for Mayor.
Elias vs Matt Hardy was essentially a nothing match that exhibited that the Woken character is pretty much just as dead Bray Wyatt, and spun them back off into a feud no one cares about which sucks to say because WWE has managed to kill a character in 3 months that was white hot for a year.
My biggest issue with this show however was the main event where a clearly distracted John Cena was still able to beat Finn Balor. Why give him so much time in the rumble just to beat him the next night, it reminded me of his inexplicable loss to Kane right after his great match with AJ at Survivor Series. It seems like Finn Balor is slowly making his way into Dolph Ziggler purgatory where he’s in start stop booking hell.
I give this show 4 John Cena STF’s out of 10.
Pretty solid episode of Raw tonight with more good than bad.
The good: Coach is already much better than Booker, lots of wrestling on the show making it move fast, Bray Wyatt’s best promo in years
The bad: Sasha’s attempt at a literal suicide dive, and less than one day after Pollock discussed how Finn lasting so long in the Rumble could start to build him up, he loses clean to a seemingly distracted Cena
7 out of 10 “local medical facilities”
i feel like this raw failed to take advantage of some of the bright spots from the best ppv in the last year. stephanie is dumpster trash. bray and matt feud dead. titus worldwide care level zero. finn balor losing yet again after gaining huge momentum yesterday is mind boggling. ronda mia.
but as a sasha & bayley fan raging every day about how they’re booked, i loved this match with asuka and all of sasha’s promos. even though she almost went to the shadow realm, she powered through it like a champ. i hope she turns super evil. everything is evil.
Dan from Liverpool,
Rare live Raw watch from me tonight and I thought it was relatively easy viewing. Really enjoyed Sasha/Asuka especially.
On Cena, I assume the “letting the crowd get to him” and constant Wrestlemania sign pointing schtick is going to lead to him challenging the Undertaker, perhaps with his career on the line, when he loses at Elimination Chamber.
It’s a shame about Finn, he looks way more comfortable speaking now he has Gallows and Anderson behind him and he’s had a great showing these past two nights, but I just don’t see a featured spot for him on Wrestlemania, maybe challenging the Miz, but I’d be afraid of that match getting the last minute preshow rearrangement ala Ambrose/Corbin last year.
Question, is there a chance Ronda main events Wrestlemania?
Chris from Melbourne, Australia.
A very good show tonight, miles better then last week.
Without saying too much I enjoyed both Rumble’s even if the women’s was filled with retired or very green women, here’s hope-ing that next years won’t be so legends heavy.
Only thing that left me puzzled was Elias qualified for the Chamber, at least he can play guitar in the pod while waiting I guess.
NJPW Question:
Does John know if the NJPW Australia shows will air live on NJPW world or be filmed for later release?
Rich from Miami
Sasha is going to end up paralyzed or in a wheelchair by 40 unless she adjusts her style. That being said it was the match of the night.
Matt Hardy is a glorified jobber. Didn’t expect that when he was given complete use of the broken character.
Odd seeing Gallows and Anderson get an enterance without an explanation to where they went.
The main event was just off. The philly crowd checked out of this “dream match on paper” early. I see a heel turn by Balor very soon.
6 out of 10 awkward commentary moments
Best idea I’ve heard for him yet. Network series
Mj from Nj
It will be very interesting to see how Coach does on commentary with Cole. A few times tonight Cole seemingly forced him back on track. Was it me or did it sound like they were calling the show with a different style altogether tonight?
Also, Coach will wind up involved with the XFL. I know this because Vince said no crossover and that’s definitely leading to crossover!
Hope Balor Club gets a match at Mania, perhaps with Miztourage. Balor Miz feels like a solid IC program and plenty of people to work around. He has to get a Mania entrance this year. They missed a tremendous chance to use Beat Up John Cena as a nod to AJ and that version of The Club
ANTHONY!
I just wish they hold off the Elimination Chamber qualifiers till next week and let Shinsuke Nakamura’s (let’s) Rumble win the focus for this week’s Smack Down Live!
Having watched a show where the same guys who failed to win the Rumble a night before get another shot for the title through qualifiers once again makes the whole ordeal of being in the Rumble a little useless. I know it’s for the RAW title, but a little breather wouldn’t kill them.
Sasha Banks is taking wrestling advice from Lita and that scares me.
6.5 Leaping Ember Moon’s out of 10