The Battle Royal on SD showed just how low on star power they really are.

Decent storylines and character development would cover that issue.

I was really disappointed just how uninspired the whole of smackdown was. wrestling version of painting by numbers.

At any time NXT has very few stars. Far less than Smackdown, but makes better use of them.

Long post incoming.

Onto the shows, much preferred Raw to SD too.

Raw really felt like a totally different show. New titles, new song, new set, new commentary line-up, new commentary position, new graphics, new day, new camera angles. It will probably revert to form soon enough but it was a fantastic watch.
Can't remember enjoying Raw that much in several months. Some great matches, everything had a purpose (even down to the Mr Irrelevant thing) the talent were clearly up-for-it and I did like the return of proper jobber matches.

Credit too to the commentary team - I know the only change was JBL to Graves but the new line-up just worked. Byron seem much more relaxed and confident than usual (at times when JBL was there he felt very third wheel) and therefore much better, Saxton and Graves's experience together was obvious and Cole anchored the whole thing really well I thought.

And love that angle they use when the commentators are on-screen .

One peeve of mine at this point is the Rollins and Reigns alignment. WWE seem really stubborn on it and I'd wish they just bite the bullet and change it.

It's clear the crowd want Reigns heel at this point - it's basically 80/20 booing/cheering at best at this point and they have all the build they need to turn him heel. Whereas despite WWE clearly attempting to keep Rollins heel he's been consistently getting cheers even when facing Dean Ambrose who the crowd are hugely into. I know that ideally there should be a story behind the turns etc. but at a certain stage I do think just get the hell on with it. - or at least turn one of the two. Sadly can't see Seth turning soon but Reigns has to surely.


Smackdown, sorry Smackdown Live , even by WWE standards felt buzzword heavy. There was one sentence I think where JBL ticked 3 or 4 off in a row. Something like:

'WWE Championship only available on Smackdown Live, we're a true meritocracy and Ziggler holds his destiny in his own hands'.
All it was missing was the words opportunity and New Era for a full house.

I'm not sure they mentioned though that the WWE Title was exclusive to Smackdown, did they? Or that Smackdown was a meritocracy? Or that it was live?
Nice surprise Shelton is back but the roster is very thin on the Smackdown side.

Also the Diva promos on Smackdown were abysmal and honestly hurt to listen too.

The Ziggler result was a massive surprise - I almost fell off my sofa when he got that 3-count. I was convinced he was there to take the pin and that Wyatt would win. I assume FMKK fell off his sofa too and probably ran for the nearest bleach lol.
I'm pleased for Ziggy though.

Have to say I wasn't a fan of the new titles and music for Smackdown though. Very forgettable. Certainly in comparison to the Raw ones which felt old school in the best way possible (I did like the way the video in that was in time with the song - small touch but added to it)

Also, 1 week in and I'd already thoroughly sick of Shane and Bryan. Despite all the 'opportunity' and 'meritocracy' shite that is mentioned every 2 seconds in the promos, most of the focus of the show actually seems to be on the two of them.
It makes a change when this week Stephanie was the McMahon taking a back seat to the talent.

I agree with everything you said, BFGArmy. I'd like to add that Orton's return match was not given enough hype and was cheaply wasted.

The second best part about Ziggler winning for me was the inevitable reaction I was expecting on here. Glad you guys didn't disappoint. I can only imagine if he actually wins the World Title at Summerslam/

Have to say I already absolutely blimming love the Summerslam card.

Ziggler/Ambrose.
Rollins/Balor.
Orton/Lesnar.
AJ Styles/Cena (not announced but all but certain).

*drools*
Some matches there I've wanted for some time and plenty of new matches (with the obvious AJ/Cena exception - but I'll happily have them face each other again).

Also I'm sure others have made the point but it bares saying that if someone had said back in 2008 that Summerslam would be main-evented by:

Brock Lesnar, Tyler Black, Jon Moxley, Prince Devitt, AJ Styles and Kerwin White's caddy they'd have been laughed at and put in the loony asylum.

Yet here we are.

I'm sure I saw a few posts on here criticising Balor - saying he's got no personality etc. - but I honestly couldn't care less even if he's got the personality of a potato (cos he's Irish ) .
He just seems a very cool superstar and a great wrestler - I'm a huge fan.

And he's got a pretty good resume for someone who's meant to not be that good.
He didn't exactly hit the ugly tree either - I'm sure he'll have his fair share of female fans.

Just a hunch too (as all I'm seen of him is bits and pieces of his NXT stuff) but he seems like a much more natural heel than a face.

Great to see you again Harris.

It didn't do a lot for the IC Title either - the champion being made to look that incompetent.
That said obviously that isn't Smackdown's main title - they have the WWE Title (did they mention it was exclusive to Smackdown)?

I'm glad to see Orton back though - and so pleased to see that we're finally going to get Orton/Lesnar. Long overdue.

I'm just awaiting the James Elworth Summerslam match now.

So true.

On SD, there's AJ, Ambrose, Cena and Orton. And then the likes of Ziggler, Corbin and Wyatt below them. And beyond that lot there's really not much to write home about.

Miz is good but his act has a ceiling and while I enjoy Kalisto, WWE don't seem to particularly value him. But beyond that there's really not much star power at all.

Whereas Raw-wise there's much more depth - even without adding the cruiserweights.


THEY'RE CRAZY CHICKS MAGGLE, I MEAN MAURO.

Thanks, you too.
There's been a few times where I've had a post written for this thread but I didn't press send because I didn't have enough time to stay and have a discussion on the topic. Thought I'd put an end to it before it even got started. (Like Arsenal's chances of winning the league. )

The way they've handled the IC Title is shocking, but that shouldn't come as a surprised after recent years. And thank goodness for the Smackdown Live Exclusive WWE title, otherwise the show would be a waste of time.

I'm glad to see Orton back too. Wish they had waited until SummerSlam for his return match or given us at least one week's notice. Orton/Lesnar is a modern-day dream match of mine.

Might have to wait a few years before James Ellsworth's SummerSlam match.

I don't get 'it' with Finn Balor. I like his in-ring work and he's decent on the mic. I'm just not emotionally invested in him. I've only seen NXT for just over a year and I still don't get the hype around him. I think that's partly down to me finding almost ALL the mic work on NXT extremely forced and wooden, probably the worst thing about the show.

If he's given a decent storyline and makes the most of it on the mic, I'm sure I'll find him more appealing. Right now, I just don't get excited to see him. I know that he'll probably put on a really good match, but I just don't like it. It's hard to explain. I was the same with CM Punk.

I think CM Punk is a better wrestler than Finn Balor in almost every way. But at least they're pushing someone.

Nice to see your thoughts on a big week BFG, though you won't be surprised to know that I'm not as excited as you are about the prospect of Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler. Be prepared for an endless vortex of superkicks into middle rope rebounds.

Arsenal are often up there with WWE in the bullshit stakes at times.
Goodness knows why I choose such infuriating teams/shows to get into.

Hey, Smackdown's a meritocracy I'll have you know and all about the superstars. Shane and Daniel Bryan told me so

I do like the story they've gone with the Orton/Lesnar match though - it's simple but RKO v F5 is exactly the story you want for a match like that.

We Ellsworth fans will get the Summerslam match we've waited for.

I understand on Balor - there are certainly superstars past and present who fans adore but I'm non-plussed by and just don't 'get'.

Like I say I haven't seen too much of his stuff bar NXT bits and pieces - I just find him cool and really like him for that reason.
It's clear too WWE rate him - it's not every day a superstar wins a world title shot (I'm not calling to call it that ridiculous name) on their first day on Raw.

As I say I think he'd be a brilliant heel - he just has that cocky look.

Cannot wait for him and Rollins to face each other - as a Rollins mark obviously supporting Seth but I'll happily cope if Balor wins.
Goodness help Hollie having to choose between the two of them/their bums.

Welcome back BFG was wondering what happened to you agree with your insanely long post regarding Raw and Smackdown looking forward to Seth/Finn at Summerslam not in the same way as Hollie of course but I'm looking forward to that more than Dean/Dolph.

Nice to see you FMKK. Thanks for the welcome back (and you too Sinister)

I'm just glad you didn't go for the bleach when Ziggler won that No. 1 Contendors match.

Not surprised - we don't normally agree on much anyway lol.
I'm not expecting it to be a 5* classic by any means but I've always felt there is a reason fans stuck behind Ziggler for years. Plus it's a fairly fresh match-up - especially for a World Title.

I've managed to blank out those rebound clotheslines at this point I think. Either that or I don't mind them so much now.

I assume you're please D-Bry is back - on Smackdown Live, the meritocracy and exclusive home of the WWE Championship.

Wait the WWE Championship is exclusive to Smackdown? Why didn't anyone tell me?

I'd agree that Punk is better than Balor, but not by much.

It's a shame how they've overdone it with the middle rope rebound thing that Ambrose does. First couple of times it looked cool. Now it's just not entertaining. We're expecting to see it (multiple times in a match) rather than be surprised by it.

The buzzwords are too much.
Ellsworth vs Slater.

The simplicity of the Orton/Lesnar match is a nice touch. I would've preferred it if they'd kept Orton off TV until then to make their match seem special, but ah well.

Balor is a great performer in the ring and he gets the right reaction from the crowd. Really glad that WWE decided to push him straight away. I agree with his cocky look. As far as I can remember, he's always been a face on NXT. I'm sure he'd be a great heel.

I'm looking forward to Rollins and Balor's encounter too. It should be a really fun match. I might be too optimistic when I wish that they don't conform to WWE's usual match formula. It's pretty much the same pretty much every match. Start slow, submission holds, leave the ring for a break and then hit the big finish.
At some point in the match, I'm expecting Balor to go for the Coup de Grace only to be hit with Rollins' high knee in mid air.

Lana or Natalya?

The sad thing is I'd genuinely be excited for an Elsworth/Slater match.

I've heard his heel work when in Japan (I think?) was good. He's good as a face too though mind so I'm not desperate for them to turn him anytime soon.

Sorry to be that person and use indy names again - it's done for a reason here though - but it really does show how far we've come that Prince Devitt v Tyler Black is a world title match in 2016.
And I couldn't be happier.

And in answer to your question - Lana. Unless Natalya is wearing that Wrestlemania 31 attire again.

Raw and Smackdown rosters will be running live events on their opposite night meaning:
1. The women's champion will be travelling more than anybody else;
2. The women's champion will never be at a live event on Monday or Tuesday.

Obviously, they can just allow that to be the case but I can't see them doing that.

Some of the fans I know and speak to accept its cool to have a bit of a "man-crush" on Balor. I think he's awesome and he's going to be huge. Big fan here.

I thought that had finished, and it was a show dedicated to the Bellas from the new season onwards??

He was bland back in NJPW too and was only interesting when he was with the Bullet Club as he could bounce off the others. He's always been a solid wrestler no doubt about that.

He absolutely sucks at promos.

Personally I've found him very meh in the WWE. He's had good matches but I just don't find him interesting enough.

The main problem is the Demon character. First I hate that god awful entrance crawling around looking like he's forgotten where he lives and secondly he doesn't change his style or show a difference between normal and Demon Balor.

It ends up just looking like a guy with paint on. I'd like him to maybe be more aggressive as the Demon and change his move set slightly. Maybe have a different finisher or something.

Just my two pennies worth. He just needs to be a bit more interesting and I don't give two shits if he's attractive or not. A person has to be more than good looking.

Agree with this all so much. The demon should come out to end big feuds when he's desperate or angry. He should conflicted about using it. It should mean something. Otherwise it's just silly fancy dress.

But he's always going to be revered by a section of the audience because he was in NXT and they'd heard of him in Japan before. Definitely not as good as Roman Reigns but perception trumps reality.

What do people think of this list???

http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2016...tlers-all-time

Not sure why you'd have a battle royale and not have orton. Considering the match vs Miz wasent until later in the show.

Think they got another season later this year.

Its just bollocks putting Hogan in a 10. Whether you like or hate it you cant deny the sucess he had for 2 decades. Apart from Ric Flair I dont recall anyone else who Wore a world title for nearly 2 decades.

Well given that the battle royal was for a place in the six pack challenge match, which in turn was to determine the number one contender to the WWE championship and a match with Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam and Randy Orton already has a match with Brock Lesner at SummerSlam, I'd have thought it pretty obvious why Orton wasn't in the battle royal?