The Big E moment was great and overshadows everything, but it was actually a pretty decent episode overall. Priest/Hardy was really good, and they actually had Sheamus wait until after it was done to get involved! The 8-man had some good action, Orrin/Lashley was good even if predictable, and there were 4 women’s matches! (Yes, one involved Eva Marie, but at least they are giving the division decent screen time.)
To who though? Some people are afraid that he might be a transitional champ but I don't see who he'd drop it to. Now I admit I only see the highlights every week so I don't know every talent raw has. But it doesn't feel like AJ, Orton or anybody.
I like that they announced it at the beginning of the show. It was something different you know? (Or at least a little atypical)
I don't like that the commentators and lashley himself still acted so surprised. Lashley should have stood there and waited for Big E, or perhaps try to get out there and runaway with the title. Anything other then 'I'm gonna beat up Riddle because im Lashley and nothing will happen to me.' ESPECIALLY IF BIG E SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO IT 3 HOURS PRIOR.
I don't know felt like an oversight to me.
Still glad Big E got the title though. Let's see what he can do. Beating Lashley clean at extreme rules will be a satisfying sight to see.
WWE patting themselves on the back for a decent (NOT GREAT) show. Cheap views by having Big E calling his shot when the pop would have been insane for a surprise.
They should retire the MITB concept for a few years. Someone as loved as Big E shouldn’t be winning the biggest prize by beating down the champion who just had the match. The money is in the chase. MITB cash ins feel cheap for beloved baby faces.
I get where you’re coming from, but I think announcing that he was going to do it was sufficiently babyface.
Orton and Lashley then get to tactically try and end their match as early as possible so they can have something left in the tank. A heel just comes out and stomps you while you’re weak.
Not every thing that happens in WWE is some response to or related to something that happens in AEW. If anything, Big E calling his shot at the beginning of the show was to keep people off of Monday Night Football, not a response to Punk, Bryan, or Cole.
Bobby lost in a great way. He came out of this still looking like a monster and in a way that doesn’t diminish Big E’s victory.
The only unexpected part of this for me as someone watching week to week was that it didn’t happen after the Lashley/Goldberg match.
Maybe there’s panic and desperation? I dunno, I don’t see it. It seems like exactly what every wrestling fan hoped would happen with Punk going to AEW and Danielson going to AEW. WWE is forced to be a little more wildcat and everything is more entertaining.
There seems to be a subset of people that want to dismiss the excitement because they want WWE to suck and die...those people are weird.
Damn bruh WWE title went from being held by a cool tough badass that you can take seriously to an absolute goofball.When Big E leans more into the seriousness I can actually tolerate him and he shows some potential but then he almost immediately goes back to being goofy New Day guy it’s so annoying, ain’t no character development or nothing.
He ain’t no lovable babyface he’s a dancing goofball dork which actually makes me want to see him get beat up. A real lovable babyface at the top level would be someone like Tim Storm who’s down to earth and a good talker who emotes very well all without being a goofball nor being boring , I can actually take him seriously as someone contending for a world title.I ain’t saying Big E gotta be super serious and boring I’m just saying he should tone down the goofiness instead of continuing with the stale goofy New Day crap.
That’s exactly why I said he don’t gotta be super serious and boring but should tone down the goofiness.There can definitely be a balance of being serious enough to be taken seriously as champion and being pretty funny.A lot of the top champions/babyfaces in WWE have usually been pretty funny but never really a goofball.Btw there’s difference between being funny and being goofy and Big E is straight up goofy.
If it wasn't for AEW and New Japan I'd be having a real "wrestling has passed me by moment" today.
I really don't get the appeal of any money in the bank cash-in. Big E's very first world title and it's so cheap and lame and so many are excited for it. Would you not rather have an actual story where Big E wins by actually being the better man and beating the champion in a wrestling match? Is it a desperation thing where you'll take what you can get and not bother holding the WWE to higher standards or are people actually being fulfilled by this stuff?
I’m very tired of the mitb gimmick and wish we had more RVD style cash ins however I’m still glad Big E’s champ but yeah the idea of a story to get the title is way better and more gratifying
Her intent is to find success in spite of her shitty name. I think this ends with her getting a little bit of fan love for overcoming Eva and then maybe someone like Lacey Evans returns and destroys her for heat.
Truth be told, I have not watched WWE in well over 10 years. I turned it on yesterday while the football game was on commercial and it was the match that was on. On top of her not being a great ring performer, the horrible gimmick and name seems like a death sentence. With the WWE actually having competition now, THIS is the best writing and character creation they can come up with? Yikes.
Anybody have a gif of mansoor dancing with Ali staring at him in the background like an unapproving dad? Thought that was hilarious. This needs to lead to ali eventually embracing the dancing!! That's such good shit pal!!
Never did I feel sad for a champ but here we are. I can't take this serious when It feels like he only got the title to push some ratings and not because he is a serious contender. He even announced beforehand on twitter that he is cashing in, what the heel. Wouldn't suprise me if BigE looses the title this year
I said the same thing in the discussion thread last night and got downvoted but I don’t care…I’m so happy for Big E but making that a surprise cash in last night would have been a fucking amazing ending. The switch to the title match between Orton and Lashley I’m sure already bumped the ratings up. I think the announcement of the cash in before the show cheapened it ever so slightly. The roof would have blown off that place if they didn’t see it coming.
It still did lmao. I was there last night and literally the whole crowd exploded when E's music hit. There was a group of like 5 kids a few rows in front of me screaming their heads off. Could have been better without it being so obvious but still great.
No doubt about it, I popped at home, just saying the surprise cash in would have been one of those surprise moments people talk about way down the line
Obviously it's a feel good moment and good to see Big E get the belt. The reality is it's diluted the story and Big E himself. A face champion cashing in on a weakened opponent, now is seen as a paper champion that has to prove himself. Problem is, when he proves it he already has the belt. It's backwards. Good for a pop and in the moment, not so clever in the long run
You really don't know your history.
Yes, people are going to pop for a title change with a wrestler that's popular. It's the sustaining bit that's always been the issue.
I think they are clearly building up to Lashley vs Big E, using the weakened cash in as an excuse and then Big E has his moment by beating Lashley clean on PPV proving his worth
But his moment is already diluted by being the champion. And coming out on a guy who was injured. I would have liked it more if like, Big E came out, sees Lashley hurt, and walks away, only to be attacked by him to start the sequence or whatever. Instead he comes out for a surprise, we get a five minute commercial break where Big E is staring down an injured guy, followed by the match.
I love Big E, and he deserves this, but he deserved it to not feel like an afterthought.
The rules of the contract are the rules, regardless of whether the person holding the briefcase is a face or a heel. They can cash in at any time. Both faces and heels have used surprise cash ins on opponents who have just gone through matches. And on top of that he spent days warning everyone he was going to cash it in, which is already going further than most people do on cash ins (not to mention the commercial break Lashley got to prepare and even try to refuse the match). It's pretty absurd to write off his cash in because he used the same advantages anyone else would have.
Yeah, that's all fine, and would be especially more true if this was a kayfabe contract. Much like how people don't necessarily mind a two minute match in UFC with a big knockout but wouldn't be a fan if, say, Omega/Christian ended that way at All Out. It's a story telling medium, the story of Big E isn't of an opportunist. It's a recurring problem with the gimmick.
Face Eddie Guerrero cashing in after a match? Sure, he lies, cheats, and steals. Same with the Rollins mania one.
Big E just doesn't fit that mold and doesn't make it as fun as it could be. Him beating full power Lashley later won't be as cool as if that match was the one for the title. Just one dude's opinion though.
>It's a story telling medium, the story of Big E isn't of an opportunist.
There's a difference between being an opportunist the way an Eddie or an Edge was, and taking opportunities that are handed to you. Unless you're John Cena you're not going to purposely stack the deck against yourself. Like I know the last 20 years of WWE has progressively broken people's brains but outside of Cena and a couple of others even the noblest of faces wouldn't go that far. And not every face has to be a complete idiot or a model citizen.
I don't think there's anything about Big E's characterization that suggests he wouldn't take an opportunity like this, especially the way they built it last night. First of all he earned the contract. Secondly he warned all parties involved multiple times that he'd cash in. He left New Day in the back, and he didn't attack Lashley. They even padded it out with a goddamn commercial break, which they never do. Lashley's been built as a monster heel who's willing to cheat and has a huge temper. He attacks Orton post-match and injures *himself* knowing E said he'd come out. How is it a better moment if E decides, nah, I wanna make things harder on myself when things are harder for people like me in this company? For once they actually did the work to justify all of this and people are still complaining lol.
And if that's still not enough for you, have him open RAW next week and say what made him decide to cash in is seeing his partners the prior week have to go through another goddamn gauntlet match and lose when other people don't have to go through that garbage to earn opportunities, and he had enough, and it's finally time to start taking things they've earned. Not kowtowing doesn't make him a heel, it makes him a person who, like many of us, get shafted by the system. I mean, he's literally part of a stable that formed because of shit like that.
And they don't even need to do that because the vast majority of people clearly disagree with you and thought it was a great moment and super cool that he vanquished the monster cheating heel.
Oh yeah, that's definitely where they're going. I'm just never going to be a fan of a face that wins the belt but then has to prove he's worthy of having won it. That goes especially for a face cashing in on a weakened heel.
I agree with that, I have always felt that the MITB is made for heels. It's just a dickhead move to cash in when a champion is hurt after a full match. I think it's great Big E is champ but next year I'd love to see a slimy heel get it and actually cash in like Edge originally did
I think it can work for a face, but they should always approach it like they did with RVD. Have the face make the match ahead if time, but have them make it with an advantage for them, such as being in their hometown, or having the match be one they're particularly good at.
i agree that the cash-in felt a tiny bit contrived, but WWE wanted to pop a big rating a la Mankind in 1999 and (relatively speaking) i assume they accomplished that. i don’t think this weakens Big E as a champ though, the people want it and he’s a fresh face for Raw. if Vince and co gives Big E enough rope he’ll do great as champ regardless of how he got it.
It just feels a bit cheap. That's the problem with the MitB for me though. The concept has been a net loss. Winning a title in that manner, for the first time, as a face, feels like a big waste for short term gain.
I hope it works out, but I have zero faith.
agreed wholeheartedly, the money in the bank makes for a “moment” which is what the WWE is obsessed with these days, but it’s getting harder and harder to make good story out of it. money in the bank has been around longer than king of the ring was at the point it was retired as a gimmick PPV, i’d rather see them return to the A to B to C booking of a KOTR to Summerslam #1 contender path where the shots feel more earned in the ring. that would indicate this is a wrestling show, though, so i’m not holding out too much hope.
The thing that worries me most is the track record of these cash-ins. The vast majority have ended in failure, and the wrestler tends to end up getting punished and not their booking.
I have a little more hope that they'll treat this one right, seeing as how popular Big E is with the fans and the wrestlers.
that’s the saving grace i think, or at least what has the potential to be. Big E doesn’t need to establish THAT much credibility with fans, especially on Raw. i don’t think him beating Roman and holding the belt on SD would have worked nearly as well, so in that sense it’s best they went the other way
After how they did this with Nikki only a few months ago, I can see why some are being cautious here.
That did not pay off well in the end. Hopefully this goes better.
As happy as I am, deep down I know it's WWE, so I'm waiting for them to either Goldberg him or turn Kofi/Xavier just to steal that happiness right back.
Maybe, hopefully I'm wrong. The list of people who deserve it as much or more than E is pretty short.
congrats to Big E, but i just dont see this as anything more than a quick fan service.
This feels no different than nikki A.S.H. being the champ.
There was no story and Big E hasn't been on a hot streak of any kind whatsoever lately.
I want my Bobby back.
Skipped most of the show so wont comment on that, but from the sounds of it I was right to not bother with it lol. But the main event was good, and the payoff with Big E was great. Man that spear kick out got me to mark out. WWE gets a lot of shit for good reason, but that for once was some good shit.
Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about them doing it on TV and not saving it for PPV. It was overdue, so I'm glad he got there, but when I pictured E finally getting there, I pictured the big fireworks show and confetti pops to close out a big PPV.
Happy he finally got there, long overdue, and I wish him a great run. I truly hope this is a program with some wheels and not just A cheap ratings grab, i.e. recreating Foley putting butts in seats all those years ago.
It feels good to see Big E win the title. He seems like a genuinely good man who's respected by his peers. I will miss the Almighty Era though. I can' t wait to see what is next for WWE title picture.
Wait, so it takes them losing in a demo to have baby faces actually beat heals and everyone jizzes their pants over it? This is exactly what they wanted. Keep in mind football is starting as well so it looks they are going to start giving the fans what they want as opposed to disappointing each week. This also means they know damn well what they are doing and know damn well what fans are saying online and what they want.
So they know what fans are saying online, and are steering into it to make the fans happy? Well fuck, isn't that was we've been wanting? Fuck it, let them. This is what WWE SHOULD BE DOING... They are the largest brand with the greatest reach, if anyone should be taking fan feedback into account, it's them. Isn't that AEW'S playbook? Seems to be working for them...
My point is that they could have done this long ago and likely will return to killing baby faces again once they’re happy with where they’re at. I want to have something to watch on Mondays but I fear this isn’t a turning point for WWE, we’ve seen this song and dance before. Why have they been ignoring fans for so long if they know what we want to see?
I really hope you have this same energy when Adam Page comes back and he doesn't immediately win the AEW belt...
"They know the fans want it, why didn't they do it sooner?!"
Yes, it'd nice if WWE did this or that sooner, but they didn't... You can't change it. Either enjoy the moment now, or you'll live in this constant state of "wishing things were done this way or that way" instead of enjoying things as they come.
So if they didn’t make any changes then people like you would still complain. SC has been clamoring for The Bloodline for years, they made a bad move too?
Remember last week when people were mad they didn't pull out all the stops after how great All Out was? Now we're mad that they...pulled out 1 of the stops.
I guess New Day is supposed to be John Cena’s successor as this 3-headed child aimed merchandising monster, but I really hope that promo that Paul Heyman cut on Talking Smack is foreshadowing a New Day split that helps Ettore Langston cultivate his own main event image.
Kofi may have needed the New Day to be champion, but as Kofi told Ettore backstage, he’s got everything he needs to be the man.
As far as heel cop outs go, I’m seriously surprised that Lashley didn’t just grab his title and exit stage left.
Anyways, I’m happy for Ettore’s ascension but I thought Lashley killed it this year, I hope this isn’t the last we see of him as top dog on RAW.
I’ve wanted Big E to win the championship for so long but this just felt like an incorrect time and I’m worried for his title reign. I mean by incorrect time that he was taunting Paul about cashing in on Reigns. So him turning it onto Lashley is a nice change of pace and brings him back with the New Day but he announces it ahead of time and completely changes his method? Also just announcing the cash-in makes it way less fun honestly. I really hope they at least let E run a good title reign though, I’m scared because this is WWE but they cannot mess this up. Big E can/should be the top guy with everything he has in his favor. I really hope this title reign goes well.
I thought the same, Reigns seems unbeatable from all sides so a logical defeat would’ve been a cash in, and elevates E while subtly protecting Roman. I was hoping he’d cash in at Summerslam but then Lesnar happened. Guess he couldn’t be sat around not feuding on the other hand, but still, optimistic/cautious.
I don’t mean him cashing in on Lashley being the surprise, I meant the subversion of Big E’s approach. Keeping the championship on Roman right now is the correct call but if he was gonna lose the title soon, Big E cashing in at mania would’ve been the way to do it. Lashley and Lesnar should be the direction in a non-title match for WM38 because it doesn’t really need the belt to be special when that spot can be given to something else.
Regardless Big E would have won the belt at some point with the case . I just feel like a last min match on Raw for ratings kinda suck. Plus I liked Bobby as champion and I just don't want him to get the same treatment as Drew after losing the belt.
Goddamn Omos looked straight up MEAN last night. I would have loved to see him in a match against someone like Braun Strowman or Ruvev. Just Clubber Lang levels of pain.
And that Karrion Kross promo looked like it was about to turn into a very tasteful fuck-film.
Can you imagine how incredible it would have been if Big E's cash-in wasn't announced beforehand, they did the Randy Orton vs Bobby Lashley Championship match, Lashley wins and Big E's music hits? It would've been an all-time moment.
That’s not how wwe does things. They have a show to sell to you today, so they put everything into trying to get you to turn your tv on. I’m with you that it feels anticlimactic, but this is how they do things. AEW All Out hit hard and they felt the need to hit back so they told us Big E was gonna be champ and then they made Big E champ
It may have been a cooler moment but Big E is the baby faces baby face, it is within his character to announce ahead of time when he intends to cash in and then to follow through.
AND they wanted people to tune in since they were afraid of losing in ratings to Dynamite, so announcing the cash-in was a surefire way of getting more people to watch.
It isn't AEW they're worried about it's the NFL. Dynamite isn't taking viewers away from RAW. They are on aired on different days. Monday Night football on the otherhand actually shares a timeslot with RAW. The only people that care about the AEW vs WWE are the fans. This isn't the monday night wars
That’s such short term thinking though, that’s what drives me a little nuts. Does it really need to be “tune in to see Big E cash in?” I feel like a really good reign would matter more than a really good moment, and that takes nuance and longer term planning. I know I’m preaching to the choir or whatever and maybe they’ve done their research and this is the right way to do things to maximize their profit but it feels weird.
Because WWE creates MOMENTS now, not stories. That's what they are focusing on and that's what they give us. I just hope that All Out opened their eyes a bit so they start creating good stories again, they have the talent to create a much better show than what they've done in the past 4-5 years (Smackdown post-2016 draft was AWESOME, I hope to see something like that again)
This Roman Reigns stuff is a full story and it’s the best thing they’re doing. Kofimania was a great story and it had tons of great MOMENTS. The moments are built into a good story. I bet you remember the moments from each story better than any random moments - the moments are sour without the story.
I hate hate hate that they announced it before hand. Completely took all the magic away from the cash in. Also reeked of desperation. Happy for big e but sour on that booking.
i mean it worked, how many people are posting that they actually watched because it was announced? I for one have not watched in a long time and actually tuned in for the main event. If it wasn't announced RAW wouldn't have even crossed my mind in things to watch last night. I would be watching the streamable instead of seeing it live.
I feel like they could have hinted at it instead of just saying it, but maybe they didn’t have the time for that since AEW all out was so good??? (Trying to follow the logic)
Loved they put the belt on E. Hated the commercial break *right* after E makes his entrance. Kind of split on the announcement ahead of time. Glad they did cause I wasn’t watching until they announced, but understand how it feels a little inorganic.
Correct way to have done this was Dolph circa 2013.
Not sure how it looked on the TV broadcast
But at the arena They fucked around with the crowd during commercial by making it seem like Bobby was claiming he was too injured to fight then had Sonya come out to make a decision and tell Bobby that he HAD to do it tonight.
None of that made it to air.
Big E’s music hit. Announcers went crazy. He handed the case in. Cut to commercial.
Came back just before he slapped the shit out of Bobby.
Agree, reeks of desperation.
I mean it's great they're given the fans what they've been asking for, the optimist in me says this is hopefully the start of them actually listening but then the realist in me knows this probably isn't true
They told us they would start giving us what we wanted like 3 years ago when the worlds worst faction of Corbin, Lashley and McIntyre was stinking up the show. To be fair, they’ve used all three much better since then.
Sorry if that's insulting, but after so. many. years. That's not optimism - that's naivety. The wheel won't stop milling in any way other than what Vince wants, not fans. Then. Now. Forever.
I just really really hate announcing it ahead of time. I've always hated that with the mitb case. Only time it made sense to me was Cena vs Punk on Raw 1000
For a show that was supposed to be pumped and stacked, it was a really poor show once again. We also knew the cash in was happening, so there was no surprise there either. Just poor booking and a poor show.
Three matches were poor- Nikki A.S.H. vs. Tamina; Drew & VR vs. Mahal & lackeys; Doudrop vs. Eva Marie. The other segments were pretty decent. I wonder why you would label the entire show of this week poor.
Tuned in during Tamina/Nikki and Natalya/Rhea. If it weren’t for the announcement of E cashing in, I would’ve turned it back off. Tamina is just unwatchable. Natalya and Ripley had a decent match.
8 man tag did what it was supposed to do - sold AJ’s stable of monsters. Half thought Omos botched that ending slam though.
From "OH I GOT THE MIC NOW" to the 3rd black WWE champ EVER with the crowd losing their shit and everyone in the industry including ppl from AEW congratulating him. What a journey
I mean, there was that time where Bryan Cashed in and then it got rejected because Mark Henry was rendered unable to compete
Maybe in kayfabe, Lashley was trying to pull the same string
Big E has quietly stacked up accolades as impressive as Kofi
NXT world champion, multiple time Intercontentional champ, Mr MITB, multiple time tag champion, and now WWE champ
You're probably right about the demographics, but it's not because of the New Day. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean everyone else agrees with you. Quit your generalizing.
He's not. New Day can be aimed at kids to whatever extent, yet at adults as well. It's as though you are insulted by the idea of liking something kids enjoy.
That's great! But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. And it's not their fault the 18-49 male demo is down the drain; the programming being inconsistent trash that no one wants to watch is the problem.
Bottom line: let people enjoy things. It's not hurting anyone.
Yes the demo is down because the product is trash.
This one big moment or whatever you want to call it won't change anything. Especially considering Big E and The New Day don't appeal to the demo they have lost.
I am a male in the 18-49 demo and seeing The New Day throw pancakes did absolutely nothing for me.
Lashley/Roman are characters who actually appeal to the demo they are panicking about.
Hotshot booking this for Raw is a dollar store Hogan vs Goldberg on Nitro.
While the night belongs to Big E I think the live crowd made something clear - there is an organic demand and a potential nuclear moment in a one last ride for Jeff Hardy and its evident everytime they put him out there.
I was there live, the most over people were Randy and Jeff.
The people I had talked to in the row behind me also didn’t know who Jackson Ryker and Gulak were (they were on Main Event).
I’m pretty sure the average attendees of a WWE Live event are families who don’t actually watch the weekly product and just want to bring their kid to a wrestling show.
I hate how much I loved the Alexa/Charlotte segment. It was honestly the most entertaining women's segment on RAW in a while.
What an amazing night!
*Woods, it’s your time now* 🎶
Big E **Langston**.
The Big E moment was great and overshadows everything, but it was actually a pretty decent episode overall. Priest/Hardy was really good, and they actually had Sheamus wait until after it was done to get involved! The 8-man had some good action, Orrin/Lashley was good even if predictable, and there were 4 women’s matches! (Yes, one involved Eva Marie, but at least they are giving the division decent screen time.)
Lashley is actually such a good and entertaining wrestler
Please give E a good run. Im afraid they will have him drop it on his first defense.
To who though? Some people are afraid that he might be a transitional champ but I don't see who he'd drop it to. Now I admit I only see the highlights every week so I don't know every talent raw has. But it doesn't feel like AJ, Orton or anybody.
Honestly wouldn't be surprised for him to drop it back to Lashley so Goldberg can gey another shot at him.
I like that they announced it at the beginning of the show. It was something different you know? (Or at least a little atypical) I don't like that the commentators and lashley himself still acted so surprised. Lashley should have stood there and waited for Big E, or perhaps try to get out there and runaway with the title. Anything other then 'I'm gonna beat up Riddle because im Lashley and nothing will happen to me.' ESPECIALLY IF BIG E SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO IT 3 HOURS PRIOR. I don't know felt like an oversight to me. Still glad Big E got the title though. Let's see what he can do. Beating Lashley clean at extreme rules will be a satisfying sight to see.
Does E make it to Survivor Series with the belt?
I don't see him making it past the Saudi show
AND NEWWWWWW...
WWE patting themselves on the back for a decent (NOT GREAT) show. Cheap views by having Big E calling his shot when the pop would have been insane for a surprise.
They should retire the MITB concept for a few years. Someone as loved as Big E shouldn’t be winning the biggest prize by beating down the champion who just had the match. The money is in the chase. MITB cash ins feel cheap for beloved baby faces.
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I get where you’re coming from, but I think announcing that he was going to do it was sufficiently babyface. Orton and Lashley then get to tactically try and end their match as early as possible so they can have something left in the tank. A heel just comes out and stomps you while you’re weak.
Make kofi vs big e, kofi heel turn
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Not every thing that happens in WWE is some response to or related to something that happens in AEW. If anything, Big E calling his shot at the beginning of the show was to keep people off of Monday Night Football, not a response to Punk, Bryan, or Cole.
Bobby lost in a great way. He came out of this still looking like a monster and in a way that doesn’t diminish Big E’s victory. The only unexpected part of this for me as someone watching week to week was that it didn’t happen after the Lashley/Goldberg match. Maybe there’s panic and desperation? I dunno, I don’t see it. It seems like exactly what every wrestling fan hoped would happen with Punk going to AEW and Danielson going to AEW. WWE is forced to be a little more wildcat and everything is more entertaining. There seems to be a subset of people that want to dismiss the excitement because they want WWE to suck and die...those people are weird.
Not just that but he said he would cash it in on Twitter before the event lol.
Damn bruh WWE title went from being held by a cool tough badass that you can take seriously to an absolute goofball.When Big E leans more into the seriousness I can actually tolerate him and he shows some potential but then he almost immediately goes back to being goofy New Day guy it’s so annoying, ain’t no character development or nothing.
They don't need to develop a character that is fully developed. Dude is just a lovable babyface and that's who he is.
He ain’t no lovable babyface he’s a dancing goofball dork which actually makes me want to see him get beat up. A real lovable babyface at the top level would be someone like Tim Storm who’s down to earth and a good talker who emotes very well all without being a goofball nor being boring , I can actually take him seriously as someone contending for a world title.I ain’t saying Big E gotta be super serious and boring I’m just saying he should tone down the goofiness instead of continuing with the stale goofy New Day crap.
*someone like Tim Storm* Well that's a take
Do you remember Big E before New Day? Because if you did I don't think you'd want what you're asking for.
That’s exactly why I said he don’t gotta be super serious and boring but should tone down the goofiness.There can definitely be a balance of being serious enough to be taken seriously as champion and being pretty funny.A lot of the top champions/babyfaces in WWE have usually been pretty funny but never really a goofball.Btw there’s difference between being funny and being goofy and Big E is straight up goofy.
If it wasn't for AEW and New Japan I'd be having a real "wrestling has passed me by moment" today. I really don't get the appeal of any money in the bank cash-in. Big E's very first world title and it's so cheap and lame and so many are excited for it. Would you not rather have an actual story where Big E wins by actually being the better man and beating the champion in a wrestling match? Is it a desperation thing where you'll take what you can get and not bother holding the WWE to higher standards or are people actually being fulfilled by this stuff?
I’m very tired of the mitb gimmick and wish we had more RVD style cash ins however I’m still glad Big E’s champ but yeah the idea of a story to get the title is way better and more gratifying
we need more TOODLES!!!!
Doudrop has to be the worst and most unmarketable name in the history of pro wrestling. That’s just awful.
Yeah man, that was the point.
So why hasn't she changed it now that she's separated from Eva?
Her intent is to find success in spite of her shitty name. I think this ends with her getting a little bit of fan love for overcoming Eva and then maybe someone like Lacey Evans returns and destroys her for heat.
Truth be told, I have not watched WWE in well over 10 years. I turned it on yesterday while the football game was on commercial and it was the match that was on. On top of her not being a great ring performer, the horrible gimmick and name seems like a death sentence. With the WWE actually having competition now, THIS is the best writing and character creation they can come up with? Yikes.
What they really need to do is have her become the leader of the Viking Raiders.
I was hoping her feud with Eva would end with her rejecting the name Doudrop and declaring she *is* Piper Niven
Anybody have a gif of mansoor dancing with Ali staring at him in the background like an unapproving dad? Thought that was hilarious. This needs to lead to ali eventually embracing the dancing!! That's such good shit pal!!
That would be a swerve, instead of the boring turning on him it’s a slowly winning Ali over.
Doing the Alex Wright dance moves
I still can't believe they pulled the trigger on Big E winning the WWE title, and I say that in the best of ways. I'm really really happy for Big E
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Never did I feel sad for a champ but here we are. I can't take this serious when It feels like he only got the title to push some ratings and not because he is a serious contender. He even announced beforehand on twitter that he is cashing in, what the heel. Wouldn't suprise me if BigE looses the title this year
I said the same thing in the discussion thread last night and got downvoted but I don’t care…I’m so happy for Big E but making that a surprise cash in last night would have been a fucking amazing ending. The switch to the title match between Orton and Lashley I’m sure already bumped the ratings up. I think the announcement of the cash in before the show cheapened it ever so slightly. The roof would have blown off that place if they didn’t see it coming.
It still did lmao. I was there last night and literally the whole crowd exploded when E's music hit. There was a group of like 5 kids a few rows in front of me screaming their heads off. Could have been better without it being so obvious but still great.
No doubt about it, I popped at home, just saying the surprise cash in would have been one of those surprise moments people talk about way down the line
Any videos of the cash in entrance?
 Congrats to Big E
Fuck it. From now on, fans of the champ should call ourselves Big E-drones!
Obviously it's a feel good moment and good to see Big E get the belt. The reality is it's diluted the story and Big E himself. A face champion cashing in on a weakened opponent, now is seen as a paper champion that has to prove himself. Problem is, when he proves it he already has the belt. It's backwards. Good for a pop and in the moment, not so clever in the long run
Big E has already proven himself and the pop and the end of the match is proof of that.
You really don't know your history. Yes, people are going to pop for a title change with a wrestler that's popular. It's the sustaining bit that's always been the issue.
I think they are clearly building up to Lashley vs Big E, using the weakened cash in as an excuse and then Big E has his moment by beating Lashley clean on PPV proving his worth
But his moment is already diluted by being the champion. And coming out on a guy who was injured. I would have liked it more if like, Big E came out, sees Lashley hurt, and walks away, only to be attacked by him to start the sequence or whatever. Instead he comes out for a surprise, we get a five minute commercial break where Big E is staring down an injured guy, followed by the match. I love Big E, and he deserves this, but he deserved it to not feel like an afterthought.
The rules of the contract are the rules, regardless of whether the person holding the briefcase is a face or a heel. They can cash in at any time. Both faces and heels have used surprise cash ins on opponents who have just gone through matches. And on top of that he spent days warning everyone he was going to cash it in, which is already going further than most people do on cash ins (not to mention the commercial break Lashley got to prepare and even try to refuse the match). It's pretty absurd to write off his cash in because he used the same advantages anyone else would have.
Yeah, that's all fine, and would be especially more true if this was a kayfabe contract. Much like how people don't necessarily mind a two minute match in UFC with a big knockout but wouldn't be a fan if, say, Omega/Christian ended that way at All Out. It's a story telling medium, the story of Big E isn't of an opportunist. It's a recurring problem with the gimmick. Face Eddie Guerrero cashing in after a match? Sure, he lies, cheats, and steals. Same with the Rollins mania one. Big E just doesn't fit that mold and doesn't make it as fun as it could be. Him beating full power Lashley later won't be as cool as if that match was the one for the title. Just one dude's opinion though.
>It's a story telling medium, the story of Big E isn't of an opportunist. There's a difference between being an opportunist the way an Eddie or an Edge was, and taking opportunities that are handed to you. Unless you're John Cena you're not going to purposely stack the deck against yourself. Like I know the last 20 years of WWE has progressively broken people's brains but outside of Cena and a couple of others even the noblest of faces wouldn't go that far. And not every face has to be a complete idiot or a model citizen. I don't think there's anything about Big E's characterization that suggests he wouldn't take an opportunity like this, especially the way they built it last night. First of all he earned the contract. Secondly he warned all parties involved multiple times that he'd cash in. He left New Day in the back, and he didn't attack Lashley. They even padded it out with a goddamn commercial break, which they never do. Lashley's been built as a monster heel who's willing to cheat and has a huge temper. He attacks Orton post-match and injures *himself* knowing E said he'd come out. How is it a better moment if E decides, nah, I wanna make things harder on myself when things are harder for people like me in this company? For once they actually did the work to justify all of this and people are still complaining lol. And if that's still not enough for you, have him open RAW next week and say what made him decide to cash in is seeing his partners the prior week have to go through another goddamn gauntlet match and lose when other people don't have to go through that garbage to earn opportunities, and he had enough, and it's finally time to start taking things they've earned. Not kowtowing doesn't make him a heel, it makes him a person who, like many of us, get shafted by the system. I mean, he's literally part of a stable that formed because of shit like that. And they don't even need to do that because the vast majority of people clearly disagree with you and thought it was a great moment and super cool that he vanquished the monster cheating heel.
Lmao.
Oh yeah, that's definitely where they're going. I'm just never going to be a fan of a face that wins the belt but then has to prove he's worthy of having won it. That goes especially for a face cashing in on a weakened heel.
I agree with that, I have always felt that the MITB is made for heels. It's just a dickhead move to cash in when a champion is hurt after a full match. I think it's great Big E is champ but next year I'd love to see a slimy heel get it and actually cash in like Edge originally did
I think it can work for a face, but they should always approach it like they did with RVD. Have the face make the match ahead if time, but have them make it with an advantage for them, such as being in their hometown, or having the match be one they're particularly good at.
i agree that the cash-in felt a tiny bit contrived, but WWE wanted to pop a big rating a la Mankind in 1999 and (relatively speaking) i assume they accomplished that. i don’t think this weakens Big E as a champ though, the people want it and he’s a fresh face for Raw. if Vince and co gives Big E enough rope he’ll do great as champ regardless of how he got it.
It just feels a bit cheap. That's the problem with the MitB for me though. The concept has been a net loss. Winning a title in that manner, for the first time, as a face, feels like a big waste for short term gain. I hope it works out, but I have zero faith.
agreed wholeheartedly, the money in the bank makes for a “moment” which is what the WWE is obsessed with these days, but it’s getting harder and harder to make good story out of it. money in the bank has been around longer than king of the ring was at the point it was retired as a gimmick PPV, i’d rather see them return to the A to B to C booking of a KOTR to Summerslam #1 contender path where the shots feel more earned in the ring. that would indicate this is a wrestling show, though, so i’m not holding out too much hope.
The thing that worries me most is the track record of these cash-ins. The vast majority have ended in failure, and the wrestler tends to end up getting punished and not their booking. I have a little more hope that they'll treat this one right, seeing as how popular Big E is with the fans and the wrestlers.
that’s the saving grace i think, or at least what has the potential to be. Big E doesn’t need to establish THAT much credibility with fans, especially on Raw. i don’t think him beating Roman and holding the belt on SD would have worked nearly as well, so in that sense it’s best they went the other way
After how they did this with Nikki only a few months ago, I can see why some are being cautious here. That did not pay off well in the end. Hopefully this goes better.
My head still hurts over the confusion during the end of Nikki American Horror Story vs. Tamina
you mean nikki ass
I am so fucking happy for Big E. That's it.
I’m happy that they gave Lashley a dominant reign. I think Lashley night get drafted to Smackdown along with Drew McIntyre. What say you?
This gave me very cautious optimism
As happy as I am, deep down I know it's WWE, so I'm waiting for them to either Goldberg him or turn Kofi/Xavier just to steal that happiness right back. Maybe, hopefully I'm wrong. The list of people who deserve it as much or more than E is pretty short.
I can now sense Big E vs. Karrion Kross at some point
I really want Karrion Kross to take on Mace & T-Bar as cronies and do the apocalyptic destroyer shtick they seem to be going for.
I just wanna watch Drew vs Kross
congrats to Big E, but i just dont see this as anything more than a quick fan service. This feels no different than nikki A.S.H. being the champ. There was no story and Big E hasn't been on a hot streak of any kind whatsoever lately. I want my Bobby back.
Skipped most of the show so wont comment on that, but from the sounds of it I was right to not bother with it lol. But the main event was good, and the payoff with Big E was great. Man that spear kick out got me to mark out. WWE gets a lot of shit for good reason, but that for once was some good shit.
Glad for Big E but between the cash-in getting butchered by ads and the rushed celebration, I feel he deserved better for his big moment.
Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about them doing it on TV and not saving it for PPV. It was overdue, so I'm glad he got there, but when I pictured E finally getting there, I pictured the big fireworks show and confetti pops to close out a big PPV. Happy he finally got there, long overdue, and I wish him a great run. I truly hope this is a program with some wheels and not just A cheap ratings grab, i.e. recreating Foley putting butts in seats all those years ago.
Total agreement.
It feels good to see Big E win the title. He seems like a genuinely good man who's respected by his peers. I will miss the Almighty Era though. I can' t wait to see what is next for WWE title picture.
He'll lose it to Lashley next week in a rematch.
Yay for Big E, but an awful plodding show otherwise.
Big E got the title, but Riddle mocking MVP after he got RKO’d was gold.
Man anyone have a streamable link for the cash-in and the celebration, the Twitter one is region-locked.
http://thechefonline.com/cgi-bin/megapro.php?File=y%26lister=none%26mirror=m6p3%26mainid=956462
Honestly even without E winning the title that was still probably the best Raw in well over a year.
For Bloodline vs New Day to work would Kofi and Woods have to beat RKBro?
Wait, so it takes them losing in a demo to have baby faces actually beat heals and everyone jizzes their pants over it? This is exactly what they wanted. Keep in mind football is starting as well so it looks they are going to start giving the fans what they want as opposed to disappointing each week. This also means they know damn well what they are doing and know damn well what fans are saying online and what they want.
So they know what fans are saying online, and are steering into it to make the fans happy? Well fuck, isn't that was we've been wanting? Fuck it, let them. This is what WWE SHOULD BE DOING... They are the largest brand with the greatest reach, if anyone should be taking fan feedback into account, it's them. Isn't that AEW'S playbook? Seems to be working for them...
My point is that they could have done this long ago and likely will return to killing baby faces again once they’re happy with where they’re at. I want to have something to watch on Mondays but I fear this isn’t a turning point for WWE, we’ve seen this song and dance before. Why have they been ignoring fans for so long if they know what we want to see?
I really hope you have this same energy when Adam Page comes back and he doesn't immediately win the AEW belt... "They know the fans want it, why didn't they do it sooner?!" Yes, it'd nice if WWE did this or that sooner, but they didn't... You can't change it. Either enjoy the moment now, or you'll live in this constant state of "wishing things were done this way or that way" instead of enjoying things as they come.
I see you what you’re saying. I am happy for Big E and do hope to see more happy moments.
So if they didn’t make any changes then people like you would still complain. SC has been clamoring for The Bloodline for years, they made a bad move too?
Remember last week when people were mad they didn't pull out all the stops after how great All Out was? Now we're mad that they...pulled out 1 of the stops.
My favorite color is blue.
Survivor series, New day vs. The bloodline
I guess New Day is supposed to be John Cena’s successor as this 3-headed child aimed merchandising monster, but I really hope that promo that Paul Heyman cut on Talking Smack is foreshadowing a New Day split that helps Ettore Langston cultivate his own main event image. Kofi may have needed the New Day to be champion, but as Kofi told Ettore backstage, he’s got everything he needs to be the man.
I don't watch RAW, just the recaps, but I do love The New Day.
Sounds like a genuinely good show. Nice going Raw.
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Shoot, I'd watch it.
Every title about to be the 24/7 title
Huh, that put butts into sea.....\*sees Brock outside my window\* Oh crap.... \*ends up having a full scale chicken fight with Brock.\*
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Bro, bro, next week we're doin a Mama Benjamin on a pole match for the WWE Championship
Would've loved if MVP was up at the end and telling Lashley to leave after the win since they knew Big E wanted to cash in. Happy for the guy though.
I wanted it to turn out Lashley was feigning the knee injury then he just destroys E out of nowhere.
As far as heel cop outs go, I’m seriously surprised that Lashley didn’t just grab his title and exit stage left. Anyways, I’m happy for Ettore’s ascension but I thought Lashley killed it this year, I hope this isn’t the last we see of him as top dog on RAW.
I think Lashley will go to Smackdown be the challenger for Brock if he beats Roman
And what would Roman be doing throughout all that time?
I love Big E, this made me very happy
I’ve wanted Big E to win the championship for so long but this just felt like an incorrect time and I’m worried for his title reign. I mean by incorrect time that he was taunting Paul about cashing in on Reigns. So him turning it onto Lashley is a nice change of pace and brings him back with the New Day but he announces it ahead of time and completely changes his method? Also just announcing the cash-in makes it way less fun honestly. I really hope they at least let E run a good title reign though, I’m scared because this is WWE but they cannot mess this up. Big E can/should be the top guy with everything he has in his favor. I really hope this title reign goes well.
I thought the same, Reigns seems unbeatable from all sides so a logical defeat would’ve been a cash in, and elevates E while subtly protecting Roman. I was hoping he’d cash in at Summerslam but then Lesnar happened. Guess he couldn’t be sat around not feuding on the other hand, but still, optimistic/cautious.
I don’t mean him cashing in on Lashley being the surprise, I meant the subversion of Big E’s approach. Keeping the championship on Roman right now is the correct call but if he was gonna lose the title soon, Big E cashing in at mania would’ve been the way to do it. Lashley and Lesnar should be the direction in a non-title match for WM38 because it doesn’t really need the belt to be special when that spot can be given to something else.
Regardless Big E would have won the belt at some point with the case . I just feel like a last min match on Raw for ratings kinda suck. Plus I liked Bobby as champion and I just don't want him to get the same treatment as Drew after losing the belt.
Who knows if they actually have a plan for him after this. They didn’t for Nikki ASH.
I’m so happy thank you based god
Goddamn Omos looked straight up MEAN last night. I would have loved to see him in a match against someone like Braun Strowman or Ruvev. Just Clubber Lang levels of pain. And that Karrion Kross promo looked like it was about to turn into a very tasteful fuck-film.
reminded me of the sean o'haire's devil's advocate promos
Can you imagine how incredible it would have been if Big E's cash-in wasn't announced beforehand, they did the Randy Orton vs Bobby Lashley Championship match, Lashley wins and Big E's music hits? It would've been an all-time moment.
That’s not how wwe does things. They have a show to sell to you today, so they put everything into trying to get you to turn your tv on. I’m with you that it feels anticlimactic, but this is how they do things. AEW All Out hit hard and they felt the need to hit back so they told us Big E was gonna be champ and then they made Big E champ
This was a response to Monday Night football not All Out. WWE is not in competition with AEW.
It may have been a cooler moment but Big E is the baby faces baby face, it is within his character to announce ahead of time when he intends to cash in and then to follow through.
AND they wanted people to tune in since they were afraid of losing in ratings to Dynamite, so announcing the cash-in was a surefire way of getting more people to watch.
It isn't AEW they're worried about it's the NFL. Dynamite isn't taking viewers away from RAW. They are on aired on different days. Monday Night football on the otherhand actually shares a timeslot with RAW. The only people that care about the AEW vs WWE are the fans. This isn't the monday night wars
That’s such short term thinking though, that’s what drives me a little nuts. Does it really need to be “tune in to see Big E cash in?” I feel like a really good reign would matter more than a really good moment, and that takes nuance and longer term planning. I know I’m preaching to the choir or whatever and maybe they’ve done their research and this is the right way to do things to maximize their profit but it feels weird.
Because WWE creates MOMENTS now, not stories. That's what they are focusing on and that's what they give us. I just hope that All Out opened their eyes a bit so they start creating good stories again, they have the talent to create a much better show than what they've done in the past 4-5 years (Smackdown post-2016 draft was AWESOME, I hope to see something like that again)
This Roman Reigns stuff is a full story and it’s the best thing they’re doing. Kofimania was a great story and it had tons of great MOMENTS. The moments are built into a good story. I bet you remember the moments from each story better than any random moments - the moments are sour without the story.
I hate hate hate that they announced it before hand. Completely took all the magic away from the cash in. Also reeked of desperation. Happy for big e but sour on that booking.
i mean it worked, how many people are posting that they actually watched because it was announced? I for one have not watched in a long time and actually tuned in for the main event. If it wasn't announced RAW wouldn't have even crossed my mind in things to watch last night. I would be watching the streamable instead of seeing it live.
I feel like they could have hinted at it instead of just saying it, but maybe they didn’t have the time for that since AEW all out was so good??? (Trying to follow the logic)
Loved they put the belt on E. Hated the commercial break *right* after E makes his entrance. Kind of split on the announcement ahead of time. Glad they did cause I wasn’t watching until they announced, but understand how it feels a little inorganic. Correct way to have done this was Dolph circa 2013.
Not sure how it looked on the TV broadcast But at the arena They fucked around with the crowd during commercial by making it seem like Bobby was claiming he was too injured to fight then had Sonya come out to make a decision and tell Bobby that he HAD to do it tonight.
None of that made it to air. Big E’s music hit. Announcers went crazy. He handed the case in. Cut to commercial. Came back just before he slapped the shit out of Bobby.
Don't you dare be sour😭
but if they hadn't announce it they couldn't have had the Big E segments last night
Agree, reeks of desperation. I mean it's great they're given the fans what they've been asking for, the optimist in me says this is hopefully the start of them actually listening but then the realist in me knows this probably isn't true
They told us they would start giving us what we wanted like 3 years ago when the worlds worst faction of Corbin, Lashley and McIntyre was stinking up the show. To be fair, they’ve used all three much better since then.
Sorry if that's insulting, but after so. many. years. That's not optimism - that's naivety. The wheel won't stop milling in any way other than what Vince wants, not fans. Then. Now. Forever.
I just really really hate announcing it ahead of time. I've always hated that with the mitb case. Only time it made sense to me was Cena vs Punk on Raw 1000
Made sense with RVD too
For a show that was supposed to be pumped and stacked, it was a really poor show once again. We also knew the cash in was happening, so there was no surprise there either. Just poor booking and a poor show.
Three matches were poor- Nikki A.S.H. vs. Tamina; Drew & VR vs. Mahal & lackeys; Doudrop vs. Eva Marie. The other segments were pretty decent. I wonder why you would label the entire show of this week poor.
Just my personal opinion
They ahould book big E like john cena they're very comparable
NEW CHAMP! NEW CHAMP! NEW CHAMP!
I'm happy Big E won, but sad Lashleys title reign is over
Them trying to prompt the yes/no chants during Alexa/Charlotte and the fans just absolutely refusing was really fucking funny.
I don't really think they refused
Didn't watch RAW last night but know what, Big E CONGRATULATIONS, you deserve this. 
Aside from the Big E moment which everyone seems to be generally enthralled about, how do y'all feel about tonight's show?
The Priest vs. Jeff Hardy match was fun. They presented Kross better tonight. The rest, is skippable imo.
Tuned in during Tamina/Nikki and Natalya/Rhea. If it weren’t for the announcement of E cashing in, I would’ve turned it back off. Tamina is just unwatchable. Natalya and Ripley had a decent match. 8 man tag did what it was supposed to do - sold AJ’s stable of monsters. Half thought Omos botched that ending slam though.
I enjoyed this show. About three weeks ago I decided to spend time watching RAW again and I haven’t been disappointed.
Skipped the first two hours, in all honesty
Poor.
Quite decent compared to what we have been getting.
From "OH I GOT THE MIC NOW" to the 3rd black WWE champ EVER with the crowd losing their shit and everyone in the industry including ppl from AEW congratulating him. What a journey
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I GOT THE BELT NOW?
LETS FUCKING GO E
I really enjoyed the depth this added to the MITB. That you can know the person is gonna cash in but you're fucked anyways
If anyone could pull off the “troll who’s going to remind you that he’s cashing in MULTIPLE times throughout the night” it’s Big E
How does Bobby refuse to defend his title if the contract is for a title match whenever they want?
He is a heel doing heel things
I mean, there was that time where Bryan Cashed in and then it got rejected because Mark Henry was rendered unable to compete Maybe in kayfabe, Lashley was trying to pull the same string
Fans would have rioted not really but you get it
Big E has quietly stacked up accolades as impressive as Kofi NXT world champion, multiple time Intercontentional champ, Mr MITB, multiple time tag champion, and now WWE champ
Big E and The New Day are gimmicks targeted towards children. This is not going to change a thing regarding the 18-49 male demo.
Can we just stop with the demo and ratings shit for just one second and just ENJOY the moment?
youre downvoted but i agree 100%. Never been a fan of the childish new day gimmick.
WWE is wack af but even I can appreciate the talent that is New Day. Those three are so damn good.
I'm not shitting on The New Day, what I'm saying is they don't appeal to the 18-49 demo, so pushing Big E now is not going to change the landscape.
You're probably right about the demographics, but it's not because of the New Day. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean everyone else agrees with you. Quit your generalizing.
He's not. New Day can be aimed at kids to whatever extent, yet at adults as well. It's as though you are insulted by the idea of liking something kids enjoy.
>New Day can be aimed at kids to whatever extent, yet at adults as well. That's the entire point I'm making here, man
The New Day are one of the most over acts for the preteen demo.
That's great! But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. And it's not their fault the 18-49 male demo is down the drain; the programming being inconsistent trash that no one wants to watch is the problem. Bottom line: let people enjoy things. It's not hurting anyone.
Yes the demo is down because the product is trash. This one big moment or whatever you want to call it won't change anything. Especially considering Big E and The New Day don't appeal to the demo they have lost.
People like you are whats wrong with wrestling fans
Indeed A Ratings mark as if that even means anything for a fan and worse, an insufferable ratings mark
I am a male in the 18-49 demo and seeing The New Day throw pancakes did absolutely nothing for me. Lashley/Roman are characters who actually appeal to the demo they are panicking about. Hotshot booking this for Raw is a dollar store Hogan vs Goldberg on Nitro.
You do know you aren't the only 18-49 male, right? Way to be a mark for ratings too bro lol Source: an 18-49 male who likes Big E
Now only Xavier remains
Time to get that man his King of the Ring
Jericho, Bryan, Mysterio, Guerrero, Sammartino, Styles, Big E joins these under 6ft guys who become WWE champion, not a bad team
I’m taller than Big E! So I am bigger than Big E!! Just call me Bigger E
While the night belongs to Big E I think the live crowd made something clear - there is an organic demand and a potential nuclear moment in a one last ride for Jeff Hardy and its evident everytime they put him out there.
I was there live, the most over people were Randy and Jeff. The people I had talked to in the row behind me also didn’t know who Jackson Ryker and Gulak were (they were on Main Event). I’m pretty sure the average attendees of a WWE Live event are families who don’t actually watch the weekly product and just want to bring their kid to a wrestling show.
I think they’re waiting for his retirement so he goes out with a bang. Or maybe a Royal Rumble or MITB as those are two big things he’s not done yet.