JWeinCom said:
Jumpin said:
Apparently TKO has indicated they might bring Summerslam to 2 nights.
I think that makes a lot of sense. Usually Summerslam feels like the Wrestlemania of the Summer, not quite Wrestlemania, but the next best thing. But, while other events have improved, become bigger, Summerslam almost feels like it's degraded a little - there are several events clearly more entertaining and satisfying than Summerslam this year. The two nights, having a bigger focus on the show. Really hammering home the "Summerslam Season" beginning at King/Queen of the Ring would bring that back. Build the Summer into a season to look forward to in Wrestling. Year 2000, height of the Attitude era, the era of The Rock, the summer season was on par with Wrestlemania season. I'd like to see that again.
Watching last week's RAW now. I let out a big groan when Seth Rollins stepped into the ring, but you know what? Zayn vs Rollins is compelling. I think CM Punk vs Roman is by far the most interesting prospective feud. And if there's gonna be a third man, Lesnar, not Rollins.
While the obvious direction for Punk is winning Elimination Chamber (if not the Rumble), and Roman getting the title and regaining the tribal chiefdom crown from Solo at Royal Rumble, there is a more interesting direction.
1. Have Punk cash his Heyman favour for Solo. Punk takes the title, Solo stays Chief.
2. Roman now has a new priority, he's pissed! He goes for Punk.
3. Solo stays chief, leaving the opportunity open for a Jacob Fatu rebellion.
That's what I'd like to see, at least. I know fans hate it when they divert from the expectation; but, I tend to enjoy it.
Holy fuck! Katana Chance robbed that match blind, but didn't win. She fucking jumped from the turnbuckle, ran across Dakota Kai's back, jumps and almost lands the perfect hurricanrana on Baszler... then follows it up with a 450 splash! I still remember the day when the WWF women's division was more of a side show gimmick thing with mud wrestling and bra and panties matches, where like 2 of them could wrestle (Jackie and Ivory, particularly after Luna left), and the most impressive move was Lita getting up and taking 20 to 45 seconds to set up a moonsault/hurricanrana. Women's wrestling was always there, just on a different continent with talent like Lioness Asuka and Megumi Kudo - the women's matches in Japan from that period are still impressive by today's standards.
Update (December 10)
I figured I'd update this rather than posting any more consecutive responses to this thread. Finished RAW (last week's), great follow up show to Survivor Series. Thickening the plot by having Jey being injured, Sami blaming Seth, and then Drew Mcintyre turning out to be the culprit. The New Day segment was also great. I feel like these shorter RAWs have the "all killer no filler" feeling to them that they had in the later Attitude era. I'm assuming they're going back to three when they get to Netflix, so I wonder if they're going to step up production so they can maintain the pace that they have going right now? Either way, I'll probably be watching them across 2-3 days (usually in the mornings as I'm getting ready for work), rather than all at once.
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Pretty sure they already confirmed a two night summer slam for 2025. Within commuting distance for me so I'll definitely be attending at least one. Also gonna go to SNME this Saturday.Â
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Perfect! And moving the NXT events away from the RAW/Smackdown events will help differentiate the show a little more. Anyway, something I'll be looking forward to.
Smackdown Dec 6
Smackdown has been entertaining so far. If I haven't said it already, Tiffany Stratton's moonsault is my all-time favourite. It's funny how much her bubbly Paris Hilton style personality clashes with the fact that she's Charlotte/Asuka/Io/Ember tier in the ring.
Also, Andrade and LA Knight teaming up would be a great team, IMO. Andrade's one of the best in-ring talents, and both he and LA Knight have the knack for making their opponents look as great as possible (think Bret Hart).
Also, an amendment to the above, I meant "Cody" for the title, not Solo.
Update: Monday Dec 16 (Smackdown Dec 6 and RAW Dec 9 watching):
Tomasso Ciampa is a crafty little genie! Just watched him and Gargano take tag team gold on Smackdown, week before last. The Motor City Machine Guns didn't see right through DIY, though.
On RAW (last week's) now. It's not often since the brand split many years ago I've felt RAW is the superior show, but right now I think it's fairly clear. I loved that CM Punk promo on Seth... maybe that feud is something after all. Judgment Day is probably my favourite feud right now (I've been into that storyline all year), after the Bloodline thing cooled off from Survivor series.
Great women's match as well. RAW has been weak on building women compared to Smackdown and NXT because they focus so much on Rhea and Liv (they're two of my three favourites at the moment, so I'm not complaining they're on top). But I like how they're bringing Damage Control and Pure Fusion Collective into it, as I like everyone involved on those teams as well. I'm a massive fan of Asuka and Charlotte, but they're at that point in their careers where wear and tear is going to have them out of action a lot of the time if they don't reduce their schedules - Asuka is 43 and has a 20+ year career of mostly heavy action - it's time to build up the next era. But back to Judgment Day, my prediction is Dom goes babyface by the end of next year, but I hope he stays a pair with Liv - they work well together.
Update Tuesday Dec 17 (Still watching RAW Dec 9)
Drew McIntyre's kayfabe "2024 could have been a career moment for me" promo was interesting, because the reality is his stock value (volume wise) probably rose more than anyone else this year - for me, it's between him, Priest, and Liv (although, I've been a very longtime fan of hers, loved the Riott Squadd, so she's been up there for years for me). The New Day is back to relevance with one of the best performed heel turns in some time. Anyway, another Seth Rollins promo, I don't care about the whiny B-side to the Drew McIntyre feud, and the writing is poor - everything is so damn contrived. Although, maybe that's the plan - it seems Sami's promo indicates that this contrived-fake motivation by Seth isn't just lazy writing, but part of the story. Perhaps this is more than just B-side, but edging into something bigger, involving more people.
Glad to see Valkyria and Dakota Kai advancing. Wow! The reaction that Woods and Kofi got! Wow! Looks like I wasn't alone in thinking that promo the earlier week was great. I don't think I've seen a crowd turn so fast and hard like this since Xpac screwed Kane's girlfriend.
December 18
Finished RAW, what an audience reaction during the Rhea vs Raquel match. It's going to be tough for Smackdown this week (err... last week!😀) to top that.
Smackdown
Michin winning clean against Tiffany Stratton was surprising. Stratton has been strong all year.
But Strowman vs Hayes, that's how to do a great monster match - Hayes being Rock levels of prideful, not knowing what new call-up he's going to be facing and believing he's going to make quick work. Strowman and Hayes, in the match, were both able to highlight their strengths in the match to a high degree, even if Strowman no sold some of the stuff early on. I think these two could have a spectacular PPV match down the road.
Last edited by Jumpin - on 19 December 2024
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