Live WWE TV Discussion Thread

[Powder]

As the expression dictates, Aliyah is as useless as tits on a bull.

[PEN15v2]

Dakota has fan support for reasons I don't completely understand.

Aliyah isn't that bad, she's just not over.

While Dakota isn't the worker many thirsty online fans believe she is, she's much better than Aliyah in all facets of the game. Looks are debatable, and from what I can see, they tend to be evenly praised in that regard. But on the mic or in the ring, I really don't think Aliyah has anything to keep up with 99% of the roster. She's at a Dana Brooke level of awkward and sloppy.

[Team Farrell]

She's an average girl wrestler on a roster mostly comprised of above average to great girl wrestlers.

Dakota I just don't get. From what I've seen, she's not very good at kicks...which are supposed to be her entire thing.

[PEN15v2]

I'll have to agree to disagree on both counts. I believe Dakota is better than you give her credit for, and Aliyah is below average. I would say Dakota is average, and Aliyah is below that. But you're insinuating Aliyah is average, then Dakota is Bret Hart in comparison.

Smackdown was taped, and I believe my friend Powder accidentally spoiled part of it concerning what is likely going to be the main event segment. Sami Zayn will host the championship celebration, but Sami seemed to have not backed up the Bloodline entirely as he didn't hit Owens with a chair on Monday. I think we can see how that will be brought up on Friday night. Drew will likely get involved too, as he will want revenge on the go-home show after being brutally attacked last Friday by the Bloodline.

One thing I've been mentioned a few times that I'm a fan of is how many people seem to be aiming for Roman and the championship. Lately, KO and Seth have mentioned going after Roman, while Drew is the next challenger. Riddle is likely going to find a way back into challenging for the title. Sami might end up being in the picture depending on how this Bloodline story goes. Rumors of a Monster return will likely lead to a championship journey. Cody will likely be in the picture when he returns. And there's a guy with a briefcase who's always a threat.

It seems that many of the top people are chasing the single (for now?) world title, and it is adding to the intrigue of the current HHH driven landscape.

There is a negative though. While all these people are chasing the head of the bloodline table and the title he holds, the rest of the Bloodline seem to be ignored concerning the titles they hold. There's a possibility that KO/Zayn will be the next big tag title challengers, but I wish we'd get more teams directing their focus on the championships. It's not that the tag division is being ignored. It's strange that the 2 hour show is doing a better job with tag teams than the 3 hour show, but with the Street Profits and Hit Row looking united, and confronting the Male Models and Los Lotharios, along New Day feuding with the Viking Raiders, there's quite a few teams getting regular screen time. Raw has Alpha Academy, Street Profits (technically they are Raw roster members, but have floated to each show since feuding with the Usos), Judgment Day, Ciampa/Miz, Mysterios, and maybe Cedric/Mustafa. There's actually a good amount of teams on Raw, but they don't really compete like teams in a tag division.

[Powder]

For the official record, and as I told Pen, I DID NOT READ ANY SPOILERS for Friday. I just made a 100% accurate prediction of what would happen on Monday.

[PEN15v2]

• New Day vs Viking Raiders - Viking Rules Match
• Butch vs Ludvig Kaiser
• Karrion Kross debut match
• Hit Row vs Maximum Male Models
• segments:
  • Ronda Rousey's "Final Judgment"
  • Roman Reigns 2 year championship celebration

Viking Rules Match

I like how this TV feud has gone. It's midcard stuff, nothing that screams "this should have been on PPV," while also feeling like it'll be a match worth tuning in for. I don't feel like it's been too many rematches, ad it's because it's been spaced out with other types of segments and attacks. If every program or angle was like this, it would be awful. But as long as this doesn't get extended too much longer, this was a great feud to showcase the heel side of the Raiders after their fresh turn. Knowing both teams and how this show seems to be booked, this will likely get decent time and be in a good spot on the show (not main event as that will be Roman for sure, but wither just before that or top of the hour).

Butch vs Kaiser

Great example of how stables help extend stories without constant rematches. Underlings to the PPV match face off to give heat for the IC title match. There will be a Gunther/Sheamus confrontation of some sorts, while likely getting a solid TV match. Both Butch and Kaiser are top notch wrestlers, though I don't think this will get much time to really show it. Should still be fun after the interesting face-off last week

Kross debut

Will likely be a squash, as it should be. I wonder if he'll come out in the gladiator gear and throw it away. In a ridiculous inside joke that will never happen, he and Farrooq should both mock the DAMNed headgear (in my WWF viewing, I'm about to get to Survivor Series 96, and gladiator Farrooq is about the start the Nation).
This segment should really spotlight Kross as best they can. I don't know if he's main event material, but to get him to that point, this has to make an impact.

Hit Row vs MMM

I'm still not sure about Hit Row without Swerve. I think MMM has potential. But I'm not sure about this feud as both should be coming out of it looking good, yet it's the first angle for both. We'll see, but I'm apprehensive about this story.

Ronda

They need to shit or get off the pot with Ronda. Is she turning heel? Is she motivating Shayna to join forces? I enjoy her work overall, and the arrogance she conveys should never be ignored. Be it as a heel, or ultra confident babyface, she shouldn't be smiling happy hero. I like the antihero approach of her dumping money in the ring, telling everyone she can afford double the fine, and wanting to wrestle. I just feel we've seen the out of control and arrested Ronda too often (it might only be twice, but it still has lost the impact after the big WrestleMania brawl with Charlotte and Becky in 2019.

Roman celebration

Lots of questions going into this weekend. Roman's title reign hasn't felt at risk as much as it does vs Drew in Wales. I still don't know if he's dropping it, but I think chances are higher now than any other time over the last 2 years. How Sami (and possibly KO) will fit into all of this will be interesting.

[Powder]

With the end of NXTUK and the PPV this weekend, and the rumor/speculation of old names coming back.

I am hoping that "at home":

Butch reverts back to Pete Dunne, can still be aligned with Sheamus, but be more of his Bruiserweight, than a hyper attack dog.
Doudrop reverts back to Piper Niven. I do not think with her there is much difference between Doudrop and Piper other than the name.
Nikki ASH reverts back to Nikki Cross, where she is a huge ball of raging energy.


Also, It is time for Roman to drop the titles. If it is not Drew with the first UK PPV in 30 years, and this for intents and purposes is Drew's homeland. The timing couldn't be better.
If it's not Drew, than only the Ghost of Bruno Sammartino could beat him.
Roman has beaten Braun, Corbin, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Cena, Lesnar, Balor, Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso, KO, Cesaro, Goldberg, and Rollins.

And I've said this to Pen, a few times, that I can see Drew winning clean. As this potential win, at the Clash, essentially in Drew's hometown, would be akin to a Wrestlemania Moment for him. Drew got shafted of that due to Covid, and WM36 was held in the performance center.

[PEN15v2]

Literally, the only reason to change any names randomly just because of the UK PPV is to please a portion of the audience WWE histrically has ignored the complaints of. HHH might find ways to revert names back, it won't be a flip of a switch without rhyme or reason. That's another rumor based on IWC basement fantasy, and nothing related to realism. Pure speculation from a portion of the audience that would be better suited following AEW.

This isn't a defense of supposed the Vince ideas that led to the name changes in the first place. But these are characters that have connected with the audience as they are. It is a risk to make changes without a plan in place.

I also find it funny that some want Nikki to once again become the character Butch currently is, but don't want Butch to be that character anymore. Fuck, the typical online fan is a moron.

Roman didn't beat Rollins.

[Powder]

OK technically true, as Roman was DQed, but Rollins did not beat Roman for the titles, and was essentially out, but was outside the ropes.

[Powder]

First off let me state officially, that I do not have a problem with intergender matches, or performing any/all wrestling moves upon the opposite sex. After all, everyone knows that wrestling is "fake", scripted, predetermined outcome, or any other synonym one would like to call it. Essentially wrestling is performance art that is done live. So there is basically NO DIFFERENCE between wrestling and, lets say, any martial art movie/show, any Superhero movie/show, any action movie/show, etc. You get my point. But what is my point, you are asking? Well in all of those entertainment shows/movies, there is no hesitation for a male character to fight a female character. If a female is attacking the male, the male defends himself, and fights back. Period. He does not cower back and wonder "how will the optics of this look?" "Will I be vilified if I hit her back?".

So why am I stating this? Because I fucking HATE, HATE, HATE, that the WWE is afraid to allow the men to defend themselves against the attack, and yes they are attacks from the female wrestlers. In the past few weeks alone, we have seen Rhea Ripley attack, Rey, Dominick, Edge, and Finn (before he turned heel) with punches, kicks and weapons, most notably chairs. But what to all the men do? Back away and act like hitting Rhea is the worst thing you can do.

Then look to Rhonda Rousey. In the same few weeks, we have seen Rhonda attack a referee, multiple security guards, and last night Adam Pierce, all with no male fighting back. I used to work security in arenas, most notably in Nassau Coliseum (mostly remembered in WWF lore where it was one venue for WM2, and SummerSlam 2002) and we were trained and told that if women are the aggressors, we are allowed to "treat them like men" in that we are allowed to restrain them. Police are also allowed to restrain female aggressors. So why can't the male wrestlers? It makes no sense.

I get the optics of "men should not be hitting women", but in today's world, there are countless accounts of female on male assault and domestic violence charges, where the woman was the aggressor. So if the WWE is allowing the women to attack the men, it is just as bad as the men attacking the women. Period.

Not so long ago, we had the Dudleys put women though tables. We had Chyna actually wrestling against men a winning the IC title as a result. And no one batted an eye and said OMFG, this is horrible. We have men and women competing against each other in sporting events all the time, most notably and most frequently and ironically in amateur wrestling!

And before anyone wants to accuse me of anything, there is absolutely no politics and definitely no attacks on transgendered people in this post. This rant has nothing to do about that. This is about how female wrestlers are attacking the men, and the men are just forced to get hit repeatedly without retribution.

So either allow the men to defend themselves or stop having the women attack the male wrestler, or security.

Otherwise, the WWE should come out and call out the MCU, the DCEU, and now the Star Wars Universe (b/c Sasha is fighting men as part of her character) etc. and say that if their scripted movies and shows can't have males defend or *gasp* even attack women, then the big companies should not either. Imagine how bad it would look if in the first Wonder Woman movie when she is gearing up to fight, that the men just sat back and pondered what to do b/c she is a woman. That is how pathetic Edge and Rey have been made to look with Rhea. And the security guards as well. I know, the security guards always look like doofuses , but sometimes they get shots in.

End Rant.




CATC:

Liv is still useless and should have lost and left the UK, the WWE, and the planet.


And about damn time Dominick turned!


People are pissed that Roman won again.

[PEN15v2]

I'm not answering about the women and men stuff. It's silly.

Great show. Liv did better than expected, and had her best match so far. It was average, but still impressive. All the other main cards matches were great.

Love the press conference idea. It was very standard this time, but it opens up a lot of opportunities.

The Dominic turn was really well done. So was the Tyson Fury punch to Theory. Solo Sikoa has been a star in NXT, so I'm glad to see him on the main roster.


"People are pissed that Roman won again."
This is how heels work. Roman was as true a heel has he's been in years. As the Head of the Table, most fans acknowledge him and cheer. But this was on another level. UK fans still had their fingers in the air at the beginning, but were salivating for Drew to win by the end.

So to all the upset twitter fans who will tune in Monday and for Extreme Rules: You got worked. That's the fun of it. Enjoy the ride.


EDIT
Drew singing is NOT like Luger at Summerslam 93. Luger was celebrating. Drew and Tyson both were really careful to setup that "it didn't go Drew's way, but it's time to get back up and fight another day."

Only thick Internet fans can't see the difference.

[Oliver]

Just to be clear, saying that Cardiff is 'effectively Drew's hometown' is a bit like saying that when AEW is in Des Moines Punk will get cheered because it's 'effectively his hometown'.

I'm happy Roman won again. It's absolutely how it should be on, essentially, a filler 'premium live event'. Just because it took place elsewhere isn't reason enough to have a title change. It also means we're heading towards - I suspect - Reigns vs Kross which is a really interesting proposition.

[PEN15v2]

Just to be clear, saying that Cardiff is 'effectively Drew's hometown' is a bit like saying that when AEW is in Des Moines Punk will get cheered because it's 'effectively his hometown'.

You can't blame any fan for thinking Drew was in his hometown or country. That's how the show was promoted by WWE for the last couple of months.

I thought it was a 50/50 chance of a new champion. I understand how all the pieces came together for a great Drew victory in front of "his" fans after winning the WWE title in an empty performance center. But the Roman story still has legs, and lots of options. And I can understand them preferring to have someone else defeat Roman, like Cody or The Rock.

In the end, the victory in front of an audience isn't a factor. Why should I care if Drew McIntyre won a title in front of a live crowd? It was a dumb preconceived notion by online fans who pay attention to the most useless details. In the end, that doesn't change anything for WWE, and it doesn't change anything for the fans. I'm sure Drew knew months ago he wasn't going to win.

[Oliver]

You can't blame any fan for thinking Drew was in his hometown or country. That's how the show was promoted by WWE for the last couple of months..

Oh yeah, I know. They do it constantly with UK shows. I think they were once saying Neville was in his hometown while they were in London, and the guy has the thickest Geordie accent I've ever heard. Always has been a bugbear of mine.

I think Drew not winning is actually more interesting than if he had. There's now Owens and Kross who have both been making overtures at having a title shot, Rollins who is really well placed and I think has been making noise about having one too. There's an argument for doing something with Zayn, I think, although he's probably not as legitimate a contender to Reigns as the other three. There's also the big return of Braun that's a bit of a wildcard in the equation.

I could certainly see them doing a fourway or fiveway main event at Extreme Rules for the number one contendership, followed up at Crown Jewel (I think that's next?) with a title match.

[PEN15v2]

Braun.
Giovanni Vinci
Solo Sikoa

3 new roster members that we may see tonight on Smackdown.

I hope there's a follow up to Braun interrupting the tag team contenders match. If that attack gets ignored, that will be a dropped ball and return to former writing after the recent changes.

I'm sorry that it's the end of the Italian model character Giovanni had in NXT 2.0 recently.

Heel Solo Sikoa will be interesting. I REALLY enjoyed his babyface tough guy character on NXT, but that sort of gimmick isn't as unique on the main roster. So we'll see how they adapt him into the Bloodline.


EDIT
Some matches are now confirmed:

• Ronda Rousey vs. Lacey Evans vs. Xia Li vs. Natalya vs. Sonya Deville - Fatal 5-Way Contenders Match
• The Street Profits & Hit Row vs. Maximum Male Models & Los Lotharios

Xia Li is someone that made a great impression on me in NXT. I'm hoping she can get more focus with HHH backing her up. Her mysterious heel angle with Boa and Mei Ying seemed to end early. Maybe that might return? The superhero gimmick also had potential. But this random heel turn seemed badly thought out, and a refresh is needed.