Original Plan for Last Night's RAW
The original plan was for RAW to feature qualifiying matches for the Elimination Chamber match. Reportedly, there were ten different versions of the script throughout the course of the day
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
CM Punk Update
Originally, Punk was planned to cut a promo on Kane about being attacked at the Royal Rumble match but that idea was dropped at some point yesterday.
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
Why Did Daniel Bryan's Promo Lead off RAW?
According to a source, the decision was made to put Bryan in the opening segment with the idea that if the crowd saw him first, they wouldn't hijack other portions of the show by chanting his name.
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
The original plan was for RAW to feature qualifiying matches for the Elimination Chamber match. Reportedly, there were ten different versions of the script throughout the course of the day
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
CM Punk Update
Originally, Punk was planned to cut a promo on Kane about being attacked at the Royal Rumble match but that idea was dropped at some point yesterday.
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
Why Did Daniel Bryan's Promo Lead off RAW?
According to a source, the decision was made to put Bryan in the opening segment with the idea that if the crowd saw him first, they wouldn't hijack other portions of the show by chanting his name.
Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
I hope this is organically leading too Bryan vs Batista for the title at WM30, with the dynamic of the crowd and with Batista being Triple H's 'boy' more than seemingly Orton, it would be awesome to make him tap and end the show. I think the crowd would 100% buy into at this point, I just hope they don't water it down into a triple threat, frankly Orton is beyond stale at this point and needs a new direction completely.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure nobody's broken up about Punk not advancing his feud with Kane. That's not something I think anybody's looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteThat Bryan segment was just WWE recognizing the crowd backlash from RR and throwing the fans a bone so they could get any potential snarknyness out of their system. Doesn't change the direction they're going with Bryan
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I could see is that Bryan gets shoehorned into a three-way at Mania against Orton & Batista, with Bryan pinning Orton, then HHH turns or Orton and endorses Batista, with Batista getting the title from Bryan at some point. And for that, I'd say the oddds are 0.0001%
ReplyDeleteAgree
ReplyDeleteWell played, it was.
ReplyDeleteI hope it doesn't. If Batista for the title is set in stone, then I wouldn't want to waste a Daniel Bryan match on Batista. Give him Undertaker, or someone that can go, and give him 20-30 minutes at Wrestlemania for once.
ReplyDeleteOut of any of the four current Elimination Chamber competitors, I guess the best fit for Batista is John Cena. Eliminating Bryan, Cena is the only one I trust to be able to carry Batista to a respectable Wrestlemania Main Event.
But there's only a 10% chance of that.
ReplyDeleteMeltzer said on his show this morning that there's a reason that Extreme Rules is booked to be in Seattle, and I think it was Bryan Alvarez who said there are plans for DB, but they could be accelerated based on crowd reactions, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf the rumoured Sheamus/Bryan and CM Punk/Triple H matches are going to happen, does anyone else share the same view I do in that I'd rather they swap them around and have Sheamus/CM Punk and Bryan/Triple H instead? Or even better ditch Trips and beg HBK for one more match!
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, Punk in Chicago at 2011's MITB PPV.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Jim Ross every damn time they went to Oklahoma.
Hm.
Calling an audible and putting him in a triple threat with Batista and Orton makes the most sense, since it doesn't mess up any other proposed matches. Would be a weird symmetry to WM 20, with Orton playing the HHH role and Batista playing the HBK role.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing they have to worry about is what the reaction is going to be when Bryan is eliminated from the Chamber match. Hopefully it's done in such a way that the crowd will realize that he's getting screwed and they won't crap all over the rest of the match. I think if the fans realize that Bryan is getting the main event push, they'll play along with the ups and downs of an angle and won't revolt every time he's pinned, etc.
So HHH can pedigree Bryan and get revenge for the last Seattle Raw?
ReplyDeleteDon't they book the venues for ppvs months in advance? Not sure if I buy the rumor. They only thing they could do the appease the Seattle crowd would be have Bryan win the EC and I don't see that happening
I dunno...a Punk/corporate Kane feud could be fun if they used the right story. What if Punk swiped Kane's mask from Stephanie and taunted him with it, telling him the "hellfire and brimstone" was still in him, waiting to come out? Kane blows it off at first, but every week it gets more intense, and Kane cracks a little bit more each week...until finally, the ringposts set on fire as Kane stands in the ring with Stephanie, and the monster is loose!
ReplyDeleteUnless this is what they're doing every week on TNA with Abyss. In which case, never mind. (I don't watch TNA due to time restrictions, not due to any hatred of the product, even if it deserves it.)
The PPV venue was booked in the last couple of weeks, according to the report. And the June PPV is in Chicago, one month before Punk's contract expires again. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking of WM three-ways (don't take that the wrong way), but not with Orton, who just shouldn't be at the top of the card right now. The audience would just poop all over that. But a Batista-Bryan-Lesnar match, while possibly squandering Lesnar in a match with at least one other bankable star, could be a damn fun match. Or a trainwreck, since I'm not even sure Bryan can get a main event performance out of Batista and a questionably motivated Lesnar.
ReplyDeleteGawd, if they really did book the venue the last few weeks and don't have a Bryan "moment" planned, they're beyond clueless
ReplyDeleteTEN DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPT??
ReplyDeleteI think they have taken "Raw Roulette" a bit too far now.
I know this sounds blasphemous right now, but I think the best idea is to feud Kane and Daniel Bryan for right now. At least until it's time to pull the trigger on Bryan.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what Meltzer was saying to the fans who were furious about the Rumble... that there are plans for Bryan as he was told that Seattle was booked for that PPV just for Bryan. But, the plans could be moved up to Mania if they feel that the crowds are going to revolt during a Batista/Orton match at Mania (which they will).
ReplyDeleteI think last night's standoff indicates that Bryan is going to be facing HHH at Mania. if CM Punk is threatening to be gone by done, would you waste a prime WrestleMania spot on him? I'm think Punk/Kane, Bryan/HHH and no heel turn for Sheamus (who is just fine as a Hacksaw Duggan level babyface).
ReplyDeleteIt's not just putting him first that prevents the hijacking. You have to put him first and promise him last.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere, former WCW bookers/writers are saying, "only 10 versions of the script? Amateurs."
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan winning the title in Seattle, then beating CM Punk in a match of the year in Chicago would be amazeballs.
ReplyDeleteThey stilled Batista. Cause that's guy's a fucking douche.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching HULU RAW right now, and it didn't work. The crowd was chanting for Daniel Bryan during the Orton/Batista circle-jerk.
ReplyDeleteWWE is also booking themselves some wiggle room. If the crowd revolts die down, then they'll go one direction. But if the crowds keep shitting on Orton and Batista, they'll be forced to change direction No way, even in all their stuborness will they allow WM to be hijacked by smart fans shitting on the main event. Even the WWE isn't that stupid.....right?
ReplyDeleteI can see where you're at, but only if a feud with Kane was tied with a WM title shot.
ReplyDeleteBest example is, ironically, the other smark-hated Rumble, the 1999 show. The audience hated McMahon winning, but what did we get out of it? The best guilty pleasure match ever- Austin/McMahon, in a cage, at the February PPV.
BTW, that show was GOLD for the WWE, doing a 1.21 buyrate (the third-best show that year, behind WM and the sad Over The Edge show).
I'd be totally fine with kicking Bryan out of the Elimination Chamber if they put him in a cage match with HHH for the title opportunity at WM...
Forgot- put Kane in the Big Show role in that match, hiding under the mat. Or climbing into the cage with no-DQ rules. Or something.
ReplyDeleteI agree that HHH vs Bryan would be a bigger draw than Punk vs. HHH.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any chance that HBK comes out of retirement.
Brad Maddox was SO OUT OF HIS DEPTH with Paul Heyman, BROCK LESNAR, Batista and Orton. Like, he just doesn't even come close to belongning with that group.
ReplyDeleteHe and Kane have some decent chemistry together but other than that, he is useless.
ReplyDeleteJim Ross at least isn't a wrestler- it's not like you can job him out. Miz in Cleveland, though....
ReplyDeleteAgreed. If HBK isn't coming out of retirement this year, having a ready-made feud (that already had the seeds planted for it) and perfect oppontent, it's not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little concerned about Punk's future given that he wasn't on Raw, nor was his performance and elimination by Kane even mentioned. He was also pulled off of the house show lineups for next week (may just be a glitch on WWE.com, but wonder if he was injured, or if some political game is being played off that Ariel Helwani interview).
ReplyDeleteAssuming Batista gets back into quasi-decent ring shape, it's not very hard to get a great match out of him. As stale as his face character got, he was pretty steady in the ring the last few years of his run.
ReplyDeleteAnd Lesnar's only bad matches since he's come back have been against Trips. I put that on Trips and his unwillingness to show ass, not on Lesnar.
if the crowd saw him first, they wouldn't hijack other portions of the show by chanting his name.
ReplyDeleteOr....or they could just push him. Just a thought.
link please
ReplyDeletePunk interview? http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/1/24/5340578/cm-punk-talks-future-in-wwe-and-mma-brock-lesnar-wwe-network-ufc-on
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't really say anything that you think would get him in trouble by WWE, but you just never know what they might get mad about.
thank you sir
ReplyDelete411 is saying rob feinstein is reporting someone told him that sting to wwe is a done deal...
ReplyDeleteAnyone else read that DB is being considered to win the EC match and work a triple threat at mania? I guess I get Batista as the returning legend thing (even though he never closed a mania in his prime, though he was absolutely over enough to) but why the hard on to get Orton in the main event?
ReplyDeleteI never entertained Batista/Orton as the WM title match just bc i can't fathom they'd go that direction. My assumption was it'd end up as Brock/Batista but yea, they definitely have left themselves some wiggle room. Whether they go to a triple threat either brock/orton/lesnar or somehow pull a 180 and go with Bryan. Orton/Batista would be a train wreck
ReplyDeleteCould Bryan and Batista have a great one on one match?
ReplyDeleteRatings are in on PWInsider:
ReplyDelete"The 1/27/2014 edition of Raw, which followed up on the 2014 Royal Rumble,
brought in 4,719,000 viewers. That was down from last week's awesome
4,868,000 viewers, but still the second best audience for the show since
March of 2013. It was also the highest audience for the final hour
since April 2013, the night after Wrestlemania 29. So, there is some
momentum for the company right now and they are way up the last two
weeks."
Looks like promising Bryan in the main event kept the 3rd hour higher than usual.
Question would you rather see Bryan job to taker in an amazing match that closes the show or see Bryan go over Orton in a title match 3rd from the top? I'd rather see db vs taker
ReplyDeleteTitle match. They have to shit or get off the pot with Bryan.
ReplyDeleteBatista closed 21.
ReplyDeleteThat is his gimmick.
ReplyDeleteTitle match. It does more to solidify him
ReplyDeleteThey needed have worried. This crowd wasn't capable of hijacking a rowboat.
ReplyDeleteI can see Punk beating Kane at EC and then moving on to HHH at 30.
ReplyDeleteHe's a two-time WWE Champion already!
ReplyDeleteTaker match.
I don't see how Bryan winning the title and defending it against a certain interglatic Nordic ruler of something like that wouldn't be the biggest non cena draw either. So if I'm Vince and want to make this right maybe DB gets the belt in February and has the best match in wrestling history to close out wmxxx. I don't think the smarky mania fans would freak out if brock won a 5 star match either.
ReplyDeleteSo...Kane embraces the hate?
ReplyDeleteIsn't Rob Feinstein the pedophile?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I agree. I don't think Bryan is in a Ziggler position where he's still a smark favorite but doesn't get a "We Want Ziggler" chant anymore. I think it's possible that Bryan has ascended Mount Perpetually Over at this point.
ReplyDeleteNow the only question is whether or not that was "his prime".
ReplyDeleteYeah but you have to find out exactly what you have in Bryan. He needs a strong 6 month title reign. At least.
ReplyDeleteHaving Bryan win the title at the Chamber is a waste. He needs to win it at Mania.
ReplyDeleteThey could. And I could slip on a banana peel and have my fall cushioned my Naomi's ample ass.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah I think he is, rf videos right?
ReplyDeleteBrock is a lock for Taker. So that means putting Bryan in the Orton/Batista and that would be a mess. I rather that just wait, and put him over Batista for the title the next night on Raw.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard that, sadly; all that I've seen is continuing reports that Sheamus/Bryan and Orton/Batista is a lock. Though if they wound up running Batista/Orton/Bryan, or even Batista/Orton/Bryan/Sheamus, it wouldn't be the end of the world for me or anything. On the scale of "Yes! Yes! Yes!" to "No! No! No!", it would be "Okay! Okay! Okay!"
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna need you to end every post with a White Goodmam quote.
ReplyDelete"Joanie loves Chachi!"
IF they realized the fucked up with Bryan and want to put the title on him, giving it to him at EC and shoehorning him in with Orton and Batista is meh. The best option is to put it on him the next night on Raw. Would instantly be one of the top 5 moments ever.
ReplyDeleteGod I hate triple threat matches too. At least ECW used to do the the ones with two pin falls, but man I really don't enjoy those in general. Yeah sure it works when you have hbk and Benoit in one, but man Batista didn't look good at the Rumble and its not like he was Ricky steamboat back in his day either. Orton has shown he can step up his game with Bryan but he's mailed in some stinkers too.
ReplyDeleteMore like Kane rejects the Authority. Which makes sense- why should a monster listen to Authority? A monster makes Authority nervous. Frankenstein's Monster didn't take a job as third-level stooge for the lynch mob.
ReplyDeleteTitle match. Jobbing to Taker is just him once again failing in a big spot. Doesn't help him, and it doesn't interest me as a fan.
ReplyDeleteWe already saw Taker vs indy darling last year.
ReplyDelete"According to a source, the decision was made to put Bryan in the opening segment with the idea that if the crowd saw him first, they wouldn't hijack other portions of the show by chanting his name."
ReplyDeleteNotice that they only chant for Bryan when Batista and Orton are around?
I like triple threat matches when they make sense and the guys have chemistry. But Orton/Bryan/Batista seems like it would be a massive train wreck. If they want to do a multiman match for a main event, the best option is Brock/Cena/Batista/Orton.
ReplyDeleteI agree that is way better than the triple threat, but wwe will rightfully have a pissed off crowd chanting shit through the whole show if he isn't in the match, which I would love, but they hate that. Especially if its really getting under Dave's skin.
ReplyDeleteThis is starting to feel like WM 19. 3-4 matches at the top they're going to heavily promote with no clear cut match to close the show.
ReplyDeleteGood call.
ReplyDeleteThere's probably a writer out there still working on one in the bowels of some southern arena, forgotten by time, like the WW2 Japanese troops in the caves
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it works if you make it part of the angle. Use the crowd revolting as part of the buildup and the pay off will be huge if Bryan wins the title the next night at Smarkmas.
ReplyDeleteAre we sure Brock/Taker is definitive? I thought it wwas like 2 months ago but they're keeping Brock hovering around the title. Maybe the shoehorn him into the Batista/Orton stuff? Would they put the title on Brock for the Taker feud? No idea where they're going with this
ReplyDeleteHere's 411 quoting a very interesting story from pwiinsidsr I was talking about below
ReplyDeletehttp://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/311390/WWE-Considering-Creative-Change-For-Elimination-Chamber-and-WrestleMania.htm
Orton/Batista can't close the show. It is going to be Brock/Taker. The backlash won't be as bad.
ReplyDeleteI'd be shocked if Brock/Taker doesn't happen at this point. The storyline is even looking pretty clear at this point. Brock keeps going around killing people until he hears a GONG!
ReplyDeleteI agree. It'd be a freaking train wreck. I like having numerous important matches at the top but hate when there's no 1 clear cut "close the show" match.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan winning the title at Elimination Chamber would be immensely rewarding as a fan. Creatively though, it's going to be something of a risk. The best way to make bank with a wrestler is to give them a WrestleMania moment, whereas Bryan's title win (speculatively) at Elimination Chamber could easily get overshadowed by the debut of the Network and the influx of legends coming to promote it.
ReplyDeleteI don't speak for anyone but myself, but I have a laundry list of matches from Japan, Ring of Honor, and now the WWE that I can go back and watch Bryan in for entertainment's sake. All I'm concerned about now is the company figuring out how to book him right to stay hot on top for the foreseeable future.
I still can't believe rock vs Austin didn't close that show but as a smackdown exclusive watcher (can you guess why?) at that point I can assure you the angle vs lesnar feud was fucking epic and well worthy of the main event. Too bad Brock botched that SSP because that would be in the running for best mania moment ever.
ReplyDeleteAnd they wouldn't even start writing until 10 minutes before the show went on.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Mike Graham was so pissed off when WWE finally unearthed him?
ReplyDeleteThey didn't think the fans at the rumble would turn on the show. They are clueless
ReplyDeleteI was so sure they'd go Rock/Austin aalso to close. Remember the dirt sheets kept saying they'd put Hogan/Vince on last. IIRC, a Hogan/Vince segment closed the go home show of Raw for that WM. I just rewatched that angle/Brock match like 4 weeks ago. It's so fucking awesome, much better then I remembered it. The botched finish makes it so hard to grade bc the SSP is so big and climactic.
ReplyDeleteBrock/Angle is great but that is one classic match that I would give a do over if I had god powers. I think that match could have hit 6 stars if they get more time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if Brian isn't going over, I'd rather it be Cena, just because Bryan could have a better match with a more able opponent.
ReplyDelete