RAW after Mania.

This used to be huge, better than Mania in many respects.

RAW had a lot of work to do after a very mixed affair the night before.

In non-chronological order -

"Inadequate"

The main event Diva division. Does this need explaining?

The New Day. Perhaps passable as heels, no chance currently.

The fans who think Lucha Dragons are cutting edge. Watch Lucha Underground, AAA, Dragon Gate.
3 vastly superior showcases.

"Requires improvement"

Constant replays that we'll see on Smackdown anyway.

Use of The Ascension. At least they're not being laughed at but badly used still.

Lucha Dragons. OK, but still too reliant on opponents strength to deliver moves which makes it hard to suspend disbelief, a problem carried over from NXT.

"Good"

Sheamus as heel.

J+J Security, comedy gold.

JBL, best WWE commentator.

Rollins nailing the weasly heel champ character.

Cena being a heel. Listen to what the guy says. He plays an oblivious heel character and is still a huge merch seller/fan favourite.

"Outstanding"

Brock going rogue.

Debut of Adrian Neville.

Paul Heyman delivering another compelling performance. We're privileged to see this man at the height of his powers.

"Conclusion"

All in all another patchy offering. Some storylines advanced, notable debuts but the status quo retained in many respects.

WWE needs to raise it's game moving towards Extreme Rules.

RAW was also notable for the multiple "Luchadore" and "Lucha" references from the commentators during  the Lucha Dragons match.
Are WWE wary of the challenge from Lucha Underground? It seems so.

Until the next time...at ease.

Mania.

The scene was set.

The room was decked out with "wrasslin" paraphernalia. The predictions were made and the guests arriving. Specially made cupcakes arrived from the Norfolk Broads.

This was Wrestlemania 31, the showcase of the immortals, the granddaddy of them all. Taker would return, Sting would debut after 14 years in the wilderness  (TNA anyone?) and we'd see what Reigns could really bring.

And, contrary to a lot of what I've seen, I found it distinctly average.

The pre show was notable only for Bookers awkward interaction with Renee. Tag titles match showed what a mess the division is in. Utter shambles. WWE'S best team are on NXT, they're called Blake and Murphy and were nowhere near this embarrassment. Andre the Giant battle royal at least split Sandow from the Miz, other than that who cared?

As for the main card. It was badly affected by daylight. Sting, Taker and Wyatt lost their aura by walking out in sunshine.

Pluses were the Orton/Rollins match, what a finish, HHH/Sting was decent and the NWO/DX segment was a highlight. The main event really delivered with the only logical outcome in Rollins cashing in. IC ladder match was decent albeit with an odd ending.

Minuses.
Wyatt totally derailed by an almost immobile Taker, Bryan as Intercontinental champ? That belt used to mean a step up and signpost to future championship hopes. Now it is a transient belt. Putting it on Ambrose for example would have made far more sense.

US title match result meant nothing.

Sadly the Divas match played as most WWE matches do in that division. Such a shame as the NXT women are allowed to shine as, to a degree, they are in TNA and in Paige (Brittani Knight) they have a real gem.

Maybe the RAW after Wrestlemania would answer the questions and take it forward?...maybe not?

The cupcakes were fabulous by the way.

Until the next time...

You're a wrestling fan when...

You see this at work and want to climb it for the gold.

4-life.

The NWO made my night at Wrestlemania 31.

LA can be invigorating.

It's quite unusual to be obsessive on a subject and discover something so new, so fresh and so unexpected that it's totally invigorating.
But that's exactly what has happened by coming across Lucha Underground.
With the production values of a great tv miniseries, a dream roster and the best commentary team in the business this has it all. I'll certainly be looking at this gem in detail as the weeks go by but for now I'll leave it as this.
I've watched all 20 episodes and there hasn't been one poor match, far from it. Matches like "Grave Consequences" set the standard for innovative modern professional wrestling.

Watch this if you haven't already, you will be getting in the lift on the ground floor. This will soar.

Until the next time...

Mission statement

The point isn't that I know everything about pro-wrestling.
The point isn't that I have any inside or special knowledge.

The point is that this is a (semi) frequent stream of consciousness from a lifelong wrestling fan.
It goes back to Wrestlemania III and the Savage vs Steamboat match. Prior to that it had been World of Sport on Saturday lunchtimes. That match at Mania changed everything and is the reason for staying up till 4am this morning watching the 31st instalment.

Coming soon...reinvigoration from Boyle Heights.