BRM Reviews WWE Day 1 (WHY?!)

[Big Red Machine]

WWE Day 1 (1/1/2022)- Atlanta, GA


THE MAIN EVENT WILL NOW BE A FIVE-WAY FOR THE RAW TITLE INCLUDING BROCK BECAUSE ROMAN TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID- That’s terrifying, given Roman’s condition.


WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Usos(c) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)- 8/10
It’s Usos vs. New Day. You could break one of their arms and they’d still have an awesome match.

KEVIN PATRICK INTERVIEWS BIG E.- good
He says he will retain his title tonight.

KAYLA BRAXTON INTERVIEWS MIGOS- fine fluff.

MADCAP MOSS & BARON CORBIN WASTE TIME TALKING- snore

DREW MCINTYRE vs. MADCAP MOSS (w/Baron Corbin)- 5/10
By the time this match started, it had been about fifteen minutes since the end of the previous match. On a PPV that went less than three hours. Oh. Sorry. It’s not a PPV or “network special” anymore. Now these are “premium live events.”
Drew beat Moss in a match that went way too long. Drew should not have this much trouble beating a clown, and certainly not on a PPV. I understand they had a lot of time to fill with Brock vs. Roman no happening, but this is not the match spend extra time on.

A WOMAN I DON’T RECOGNIZE INTERVIEWS KEVIN OWENS- good
He’s upset about Brock getting added to the WWE Title match. He claims to have a new plan.

EXTREMELY LONG SETH ROLLINS VIDEO- way too long

WWE RAW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: RK-Bro(c) vs. the Street Profit- 6.75/10
Migos came out with RK-Bro ad say at ringside with goofy VIP ropes and stanchions cordoning them off from… umm… no one, really.
See, THIS was a match that could have used the extra time. It was solid, but felt like it was on the verge of breaking into that next level when the finish came (which was an admittedly cool Alarm Clock RKO).

MEGAN INTERVIEWS DREW MCINTYRE- meh
Drew started to give the heels some credit, but that didn’t stop them from showing up and jumping him. They wrapped a chair around his neck and Corbin picked up some random heavy metal object. By this time the referee and suited officials had gathered around Corbin and were just waving their hands and shouting “NO!”, which they should know by now never stops anyone, so Corbin did it anyway. How about one of you assholes try to grab the thing away from Corbin when he has it behind his back, ready to swing it like an axe?
I know, it’s pro wrestling, but there comes a point when someone is doing something so heinous and there are so many people crowded around just shouting “DON’T DO IT!” that it looks silly. It would have been much better for Corbin to do it as the officials were showing up.
Anyway, Drew’s throat is injured and I’m sure we’ll be told that his career is in jeopardy. There was much screaming for medical attention. I really hope f*cking Baron Corbin isn’t their WrestleMania plan for Drew.

BIANCA BELAIR VIDEO PACKAGE- also way too long, and for someone who wasn’t even on the show.

KAYLA BRAXTON TRIES TO INTERVIEW BROCK LESNAR- fine
Brock says that he is a free agent thanks to his advocate Paul Heyman, and thus he will do whatever he wants, including winning the title tonight.

EDGE vs. THE MIZ (w/Maryse)- 6.75/10
Miz worked the knee a bit and they reversed stuff and did some big struggles in submissions, but this was a match that was trying really hard to be epic and failing because… well… Miz just isn’t that guy. He really doesn’t have that special thing in him in 99% of circumstances.
The other little story they had was that Maryse kept getting involved to help Miz. Eventually Beth Phoenix decided she should come out and chase Maryse away. This distracted Miz, allowing Edge to hit the Spear and get the win. The announcers put Beth over for being a great wife and standing by her man. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but if someone were trying to cheat me out of something, I’d want my wife to come try to put a stop to it after the first time, not the forty-first. Also, I'd hope she wouldn't stand on the top of the ramp and wait for her f*cking music to start before heading down to the ring. REALLY! If the music doesn't play, JUST GO ANYWAY!

KEVIN PATRICK INTERVIEWS BOBBY LASHLEY & MVP- awesome
MVP did most of the talking and was awesome.

Whoever came up with this “stupendous!” tagline for this year’s WrestleMania should have been fired for even suggesting it. It’s SOOOOOO lame.
Speaking of lame, those f*cking “enhanced reality” graphics or whatever they called them. I’ve love to meet the person who thinks those are cool, so that I could yell at them.

WWE RAW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Liv Morgan- 7/10
They had some great emotion here, and the work was solid enough. This was one of those matches that as it went on, I found that I was talking myself into the possibility of the unexpected title change actually happening here, and thus was biting on more of Liv’s nearfalls.

KEVIN PATRICK INTERVIEWS SETH ROLLINS- fine

ANOTHER LONG VIDEO PACKAGE- snore

JOHNNY KNOXVILLE PROMO- He’s going to be in the Royale Rumble. I’m sure his desire to be in the Royal Rumble has nothing to do with the movie he has coming out the next weekend which was the first thing he mentioned in this promo.

WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Big E. vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley (w/MVP)- 7/10
This was just a whole bunch of action with two little stories. The first was Owens and Rollins working together, and the second was that Brock kept getting taken out on the outside. Eventually Brock came back and they just started hitting finishers. Brock kicked out of a Lashley Spear, survived in the Hurt Lock until Big E. broke it up, avoided a Big Ending, and hit the F-5 for the win in nine minutes, of which he was involved for about three. This is why I didn’t want Brock Lesnar coming back.
At this point they have to be TRYING to piss fans off, right? They couldn’t just do whatever finish they were otherwise planning on? They HAD to put a belt on f*cking Brock again? And to do it to a member of New Day after what they did to Kofi? Really?


This was a bad show from WWE. Even at less than three hours, it was still hard to sit through because they stuck so much padding in there and gave too much time to some of the wrong matches (Edge vs. Miz and Drew vs. Moss). Add to it the most anticipated match in possibly years getting canceled and then resulting in them changing to yet another deflating finish in the main event, cutting off a strong babyface title run to put the belt back on the guy who is only going to show up every three weeks or so, and you’ve got yourself an absolutely terrible way to start off the year.

[Thelone]

I'm actually okay with Brock winning here. Is it fresh? No, not really, but at least he's away from Reigns and it'll lead to either Lashley or Big E at Wrestlemania. Also he's been pretty entertaining without Heyman on Smackdown while Big E was the least interesting guy in the build-up to the initial 4-way.

[Big Red Machine]

I'm actually okay with Brock winning here. Is it fresh? No, not really, but at least he's away from Reigns and it'll lead to either Lashley or Big E at Wrestlemania. Also he's been pretty entertaining without Heyman on Smackdown while Big E was the least interesting guy in the build-up to the initial 4-way.

But Brock vs. Reigns is what they've been building to for months! If you want to do Brock vs. Lashley (which I absolutely want to see) just have one of them break up the other's pin at some point and have them feud off of one costing the other the title. There was no reason to take the title off of Big E. so abruptly, and after only three and a half months.

[Thelone]

But Brock vs. Reigns is what they've been building to for months!

Sure, although you could argue that the match already happened at Crown Jewel and that rematch wasn't really needed. If anything, Roman catching THE PLAGUE slightly sped up what was the plan anyway : Reigns wins and moves on to McIntyre for WM, Brock goes to RAW and beats E for the belt at the Rumble while Lashley wins the Rumble match itself.

If you want to do Brock vs. Lashley (which I absolutely want to see) just have one of them break up the other's pin at some point and have them feud off of one costing the other the title. There was no reason to take the title off of Big E. so abruptly, and after only three and a half months.

Eh, I just think Big E wasn't really working as world champion.

[Big Red Machine]

But Brock vs. Reigns is what they've been building to for months!

Sure, although you could argue that the match already happened at Crown Jewel and that rematch wasn't really needed. If anything, Roman catching THE PLAGUE slightly sped up what was the plan anyway : Reigns wins and moves on to McIntyre for WM, Brock goes to RAW and beats E for the belt at the Rumble while Lashley wins the Rumble match itself.

Of course a rematch is necessary. The whole point of that finish was to set up a rematch.

[XIV]

Isn’t the rumour that Brock has it contractually obligated to win the title by a certain date, hence his last minute insertion here, could be bullshit, but that’s what I read

[Big Red Machine]

Isn’t the rumour that Brock has it contractually obligated to win the title by a certain date, hence his last minute insertion here, could be bullshit, but that’s what I read

I can't imagine that this is true. Brock makes the same amount of money, belt or no. I can't imagine that whatever his percentage of a COVID-era gate would be for being the main event would be that much of a difference that he would care.

[XIV]

Isn’t the rumour that Brock has it contractually obligated to win the title by a certain date, hence his last minute insertion here, could be bullshit, but that’s what I read

I can't imagine that this is true. Brock makes the same amount of money, belt or no. I can't imagine that whatever his percentage of a COVID-era gate would be for being the main event would be that much of a difference that he would care.

I did think it as an odd rumour, considering this is the guy who threw the title belt at Vince. But it was a rumour nontheless