Raw's lack of follow through is killing it.

[cero2k]

Found this on reddit, good read that could trigger some good discussion

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/ ... illing_it/
by fapcitybish

Every week with Raw, I get my hopes up for something fairly simple and basic and they're crushed every time. I don't know if it's the writers, if it's Vince, or whoever, but there is a fundamental issue with Raw that they don't know how to follow through after a big moment.

Let's start from today and work backwards. What was tonight's big attraction that they've been hyping up since the beginning of the draft? The Cruiserweight Division. The CWC and the division coming to Raw being hyped up all this time is one of the only reasons I watched the CWC in the first place. There's a lot of wrestling in a week, and at first I didn't feel like watching even more, but Raw made it seem like the Cruiserweights would be a huge part of Raw and that I'd be missing out if I didn't watch the CWC. So I did. And I loved it. And I became a huge fan of all the competitors. And Raw continued to hype it. So imagine my (and many others') surprise and disappointment when the entire introduction to the division was squeezed in to 15-20 minutes. The match was good, don't get me wrong, and I commend those guys for getting themselves over during the course of the match like they did, but there was no spectacle put forth in the production. It was literally "Here's these four guys most of you don't know, they're having a match to see who gets a title shot on Sunday against a champion you don't know for a championship you haven't seen". Then they proceeded to not even introduce us to the champion. It was extremely rushed feeling, lackluster, and WWE did with them the one thing I feared most: They took the most boring and unimaginative way a person could think of to introduce the division and did it.

Let's rewind even a bit further. The fatal four way for the Universal title, Triple H interferes, pedigrees Roman and Seth, shocks the shit out of everyone, Kevin Owens is the new champion. The next week you'd expect SOME sort of explanation or reason to keep watching and be excited about the storyline, right? WRONG. No Triple H. No Stephanie explaining shit (she's the guy's wife, she'd have some fucking insight after seven days), No Kevin explaining things... I don't know. The ball was utterly and completely dropped. Okay, so they want us to wait for Triple H for some reason? Fine, but at least give us a reason to even care. Tease something happening at the very least. Idk I'm not a booker or a writer, it's not my job to come up with shit but when you have a whole team of people hired specifically for that reason and the best thing you come up with is for the next three weeks to feel like "Well, that happened. Okay, moving on.." there's a huge problem!

And there's other things I'm not even going to go in depth about, ridiculous things like how they let Sami Zayn lose all his momentum after the biggest most exciting win of his career or the fact that Neville came back from injury which could have been a huge moment for his career if handled correctly but they've done LITERALLY NOTHING with him.

It kind of amazes me that Raw and Smackdown are shows produced by the same company. And that's not just me being smarky and "hurr hurr Smackdown's better than Raw because reasons", because there's a big example (along with many other, smaller ones) of Smackdown following up on angles in meaningful and interesting ways. Miz and D-Bry get into it? Well now we have an interesting, fresh storyline that continually advances in ways that make sense for all of the characters involved. Miz wanted recognition, he called out D-Bry, he disrupted the planned main event for good reason, he drew attention, he's renegotiating his contract, all these things that make sense for the character and his desires and motivations. The Usos, Heath Slater, and the entire Women's Division are also examples of Smackdown following up on interesting things in meaningful ways, instead of dropping the ball and ignoring them as Raw does over and over and over and over and over and over....

[Big Red Machine]

He's not wrong in principle, but I actually disagree regarding the two specific cases. For my thoughts on the Cruiserweights, see my Raw review. As for the Triple H thing... IT'S A MYSTERY. No one has explained anything because no one other than Hunter knows anything yet. Meanwhile, Seth and Steph's segment on last night's Raw actually did a good job of speculating about this, with a plausible explanation that might be a red herring or might be leading us in the right direction. We don't know yet, but we'll find out.

[cero2k]

He's not wrong in principle, but I actually disagree regarding the two specific cases. For my thoughts on the Cruiserweights, see my Raw review. As for the Triple H thing... IT'S A MYSTERY. No one has explained anything because no one other than Hunter knows anything yet. Meanwhile, Seth and Steph's segment on last night's Raw actually did a good job of speculating about this, with a plausible explanation that might be a red herring or might be leading us in the right direction. We don't know yet, but we'll find out.

but it's a dumb way to set up a mystery, because how he mentions, are we to assume that in three weeks Steph hasn't demanded a response from Hunter? or does WWE think we're that stupid that they're setting us up for a swerve where Steph and Hunter are in this together? it's not like Hunter altered a small match, it was for the Universal Championship, the main title of the flagship show of WWE, and Steph is just like "cool, i don't know why he did it, but cool, whatevs" I understand taking one week to explain because you can show that Hunter went to China, but it's been 3 weeks and it's like they've moved on with the story and they may not come back to it ever. Meltzer keeps joking that we'll get an answer as soon as the NFL season is over, i wouldn't be surprised. That's really weak storytelling, like worse than TNA when we assume that nothing happens in between shows.

As for the Cruiserweights, i don't disagree with Kendrick winning, it's something that i don't care about, for that matter Cedric should have a Bayley type of title chase, Swann doesn't really deserve the title, and Metallik will get his due eventually anyway. But it was terrible how they debuted them just coming out like that, introduced by old man Foley which was terrible introducing them, and then they didn't even have TJP come out and show off the new title that you have to assume no one in the arena has even seen.

[NWK2000]

I've always assumed that HHH's allegiances will play into CotC.

[cero2k]

I've always assumed that HHH's allegiances will play into CotC.

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

[Big Red Machine]

I've always assumed that HHH's allegiances will play into CotC.

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

Oh. So you want a f*ck finish in the main event of the PPV in the first defense of the title?

[cero2k]

I've always assumed that HHH's allegiances will play into CotC.

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

Oh. So you want a f*ck finish in the main event of the PPV in the first defense of the title?

why can't we have both a clean finish and Hunter telling us what's up?

[Big Red Machine]

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

Oh. So you want a f*ck finish in the main event of the PPV in the first defense of the title?

why can't we have both a clean finish and Hunter telling us what's up?

Owens defeating Rollins is inextricably linked to Hunter's decision. For Hunter to be in the building to reveal his reasons and yet not interfere in the match on Owens' behalf (i.e. to support his decision with actions) would make no sense.

[Big Red Machine]

What they could have done is have Foley want this to be a cage match to prevent interference (which Steph would have to be forced into accepting or else she would reveal that she has been lying about not supporting Hunter's decision) and then have Owens beat Rollins clean and then have Hunter show up and he and Owens beat the crap out of Rollins and then Hunter reveals his reasons... but then everyone would complain about Triple H "making it all about himself" and upstaging Owens, Rollins, and the title.

[NWK2000]

I've always assumed that HHH's allegiances will play into CotC.

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

Oh. So you want a f*ck finish in the main event of the PPV in the first defense of the title?

I like it more when wrestling doesn't blow its load and the stories have build to them. Clean finishes can be reserved for other matches, so when he has to cheat to be Rollins it simultaneously makes Rollins look better

[Big Red Machine]

it be a slap in the face if they don't reveal the plot at CotC

Oh. So you want a f*ck finish in the main event of the PPV in the first defense of the title?

I like it more when wrestling doesn't blow its load and the stories have build to them. Clean finishes can be reserved for other matches, so when he has to cheat to be Rollins it simultaneously makes Rollins look better

You need to have more clean finishes than just the blow-off. The trick is doing whatever it takes to minimize the necessary amount if f*ck finishes so that the ones you do actually count.

[XIV]

If you don't watch WhatCulture WWE's "WTF Moments" on YouTube you really should, he highlights key flaws in WWE shows.

On top of that, he has a massive motto for every week, "New Era, Same Old Shit".

We're getting the same matches two, three or more weeks in a row, it doesn't make for must see TV "oh, I didn't see x match, oh that's fine they'll have a rematch next week".

WWE Raw clearly have a lot to work on for this new Era and they're hit and miss each week.

[Big Red Machine]

WhatCulture gets so many facts wrong that I can't stand them.

[KILLdozer]

A lot of times I just feel like some wrestling shows just do things weekly as just another show or episode, something just to watch that isn't really part of much of a greater story. Just running through different bits and pieces of shit.

[Big Red Machine]

A lot of times I just feel like some wrestling shows just do things weekly as just another show or episode, something just to watch that isn't really part of much of a greater story. Just running through different bits and pieces of shit.

Which works up until a point. Ideally everything should have a purpose, even if that purpose is as simple X needs a win or X needs a loss. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional match that has no purpose other than to be a match, I think when you are trying to do some grand storyline like WWE is doing here with Hunter, it does require some sign that things are moving forward (especially in the case of a mystery).