**WWE Raw/Smackdown Viewing Thread** - Page 1845 - Wrestling -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

So this means the only forgotten wrestler is Heath Slater? I guess they have some weird free agent thing planned with Heath?

https://streamable.com/h193

I like it. Heath doesn't get enough credit, he's one of the best jobbers ever.

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07-20-2016 , 08:22 AM

#46102

gusmahler

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Cesaro getting annoyed at Jojo's questions:

https://twitter.com/DeathToAllMarks/...90615581065216

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07-20-2016 , 08:37 AM

#46103

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 96,031

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Huge upgrade for Raw but a major shame for SD. Mauro, Graves and Otunga could have been something special.

I had honestly already left SD for dead at some midway point through yesterday's draft despite going into it really wanting them to come out with a great roster. So at this point, a plus for Raw and a plus for Graves is pretty much all positive IMO.

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07-20-2016 , 08:55 AM

#46104

El Kabong

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That was some real talk from Cesaro.

And damn, Jojo is super hot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

I've only started watching so don't know the full rosters yet but yeah SD already sounds boring with Ambrose and Orton being top guys.

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07-20-2016 , 10:00 AM

#46105

El Kabong

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Just finished and yeah SD is pretty weak.

lol kayfabe though, Nia Jax gets picked but no Nakamura. Nakamura's debut should be special though so I don't really mind it.

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07-20-2016 , 10:12 AM

#46106

.isolated

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We'll Nakamura just isn't ready and WWE fans just don't click with Strong Style

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07-20-2016 , 10:18 AM

#46107

gusmahler

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Rosters:

Raw

Seth Rollins
Charlotte (WWE Womens Champion)
Finn Balor
Roman Reigns
Brock Lesnar
The New Day [Xavier Woods, Big E, Kofi Kingston] (WWE Tag Team Champions)
Sami Zayn
Sasha Banks
Chris Jericho
Rusev w/ Lana (WWE United States Champion)
Kevin Owens
Enzo Amore & Big Cass
The Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Big Show
Nia Jax
Neville
Cesaro
Sheamus
Golden Truth
Titus O'Neil
Paige
Darren Young
Sin Cara
Jack Swagger
The Dudley Boys
Summer Rae
Mark Henry
Braun Strowman
Bo Dallas
The Shining Stars
Alicia Fox
Dana Brooke
Curtis Axel

Smackdown

Dean Ambrose (WWE Champion)
AJ Styles
John Cena
Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt
Becky Lynch
The Miz w/ Maryse (WWE Intercontinental Champion)
Baron Corbin
American Alpha (Chad Gable & Jason Jordan)
Dolph Ziggler
Natalya
Alberto Del Rio
The Uso Brothers
Kane
Kalisto
Naomi
The Ascension
Zack Ryder
Apollo Crews
Alexa Bliss
Breezeango
Eva Marie
The Vaudevillans
Erick Rowan
Mojo Rawley
Carmella

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07-20-2016 , 11:40 AM

#46108

El Kabong

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Best Kalisto promo ever - https://streamable.com/gwsl

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07-20-2016 , 11:49 AM

#46109

Burdzthewurd

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I feel like Young and Ryder both win the belts at Battleground looking at these setups.

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07-20-2016 , 12:18 PM

#46110

DWetzel

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Both or neither it seems like.

As much as I was OK with Ryder winning the IC title for a few days in a ladder match, him beating Rusev will be a traveshamockery.

Random aside: it's amazing how a simple touch like "random Bob Backlund sighting" makes "Darren Young, instant title contender" totally okay and not an lolWWE moment at all.

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07-20-2016 , 01:02 PM

#46111

eyebooger

Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 59,242

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burdzthewurd

I feel like Young and Ryder both win the belts at Battleground looking at these setups.

Obviously neither should win, so yeah, they probably both will.

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07-20-2016 , 01:14 PM

#46112

moorobot

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As good as Raw's roster is, they don't really have many current main eventers, so if Rusev has to drop the U.S. title to move up to the main event scene (the belt itself should be a main event belt with the brand split, but probably won't be), it will be worth it.

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07-20-2016 , 01:19 PM

#46113

moorobot

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DWetzel

Random aside: it's amazing how a simple touch like "random Bob Backlund sighting" makes "Darren Young, instant title contender" totally okay and not an lolWWE moment at all.

"Veteran face mentoring a young face" actually was one of wrestling's most consistently effective techniques at one point. It likely went away because Vince wanted to separate himself from 'wrasslin', other companies tend to copy Vince so it got lost to the ages. But now Vince is old enough to have forgotten that Dusty Rhodes, Bill Watts, etc. used it over and over to make stars.

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07-20-2016 , 01:36 PM

#46114

El Kabong

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I see Miz and Rusev retaining and Ambrose losing.

Why do any of the tag teams care about being on SD? They have nothing to wrestle for. Same with the women.

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07-20-2016 , 01:53 PM

#46115

DWetzel

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That's an issue that will have to be addressed. Three ways exist:

1) Champs always defend against the other brand at a PPV. (I know they're doing brand specific PPVs which is dumb and eliminates this). To complement that you'd have actual title changes on individual shows, perish the thought. Adds a bunch to those matches where "if I don't beat those guys, but the other brand does, I may not see a title shot for months" to any story.

2) play off that problem and have people demand trades and stuff as part of their personas. Simple, easy, believable.

3) what they'll actually do: have even more belts

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07-20-2016 , 02:18 PM

#46116

moorobot

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Quote:

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Why do any of the tag teams care about being on SD? They have nothing to wrestle for. Same with the women.

Kind of surprised you asked this because WWE doesn't really bother much with an overarching "We are all here to try to win titles" storyline. For years, each individual feud has had its own little soap opera reason, and the random matches just have a purpose that is entirely unclear in storyline.

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07-20-2016 , 02:42 PM

#46117

LarryHoover

grinder

Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 449

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusmahler

Cesaro getting annoyed at Jojo's questions:

https://twitter.com/DeathToAllMarks/...90615581065216

Damn that was legit.

This is my first time in one of these drafts. Are they actually legit or is everything predetermined? Probably a dumb question as I thought it was predetermined but from discussion it looks like it may not be.

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07-20-2016 , 02:50 PM

#46118

moorobot

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It is predetermined, but they don't always tell the talents where they will be drafted in advance. Jim Ross was utterly shocked when it was announced he was being moved.

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07-20-2016 , 02:52 PM

#46119

LarryHoover

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Ah that's pretty cool.

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07-20-2016 , 02:58 PM

#46120

gusmahler

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Allegedly, only the top talents knew what brand they were going to. Don't know who that means, though. Seth, Dean, and Cena, obviously, but I don't know who else would be included as "top talent." Roman, Brock, and Orton weren't even there, but they might normally be considered "top talent."

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07-20-2016 , 03:56 PM

#46121

eyebooger

Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 59,242

The rationale for SD getting 2 picks for every 3 picks that Raw got was that SD is a 2 hour show, whereas Raw is a 3 hour show.

And after the draft is completed, the final tally is 33 for Raw and 26 for SD?

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07-20-2016 , 04:01 PM

#46122

El Kabong

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Yeah the word is that only the top picks know where they're going and it's a surprise to everyone else which just seems like an unnecessary thing to do on a scripted show.

JR's reaction is probably the most classic. He knew it was the beginning of the end.