I tuned in because of that post. Why, I don't know, because it clearly signaled that the great match was already over.

But anyway: Sheamus and Cesaro have really built up a long and solid tag-team run by modern WWE standards. Could never have predicted that the dull best-of-7 between them would have such a positive result.

You mean it wasn't a good idea to have them (as well as the Raw tag team champs) lose clean on consecutive nights to two NXT guys with 0 chemistry who were heated rivals a month ago?

Samoa Joe with a title is going to be a good time. I think he is facing Cena for it at Mania based on his promo (plus it just makes sense as a matchup).

They got a women's segment right for the first time in like a month with Becky cutting a really good promo and then not looking like a chump in the brawl. The match at Fastlane is interesting because Becky needs to be in the match, but Charlotte legit hasn't won a match in months and losing would make her look like even more of an undeserving third wheel than she already is. I assume there will be shenanigans.

double pin or ronda interferes. only way to make a 3-way seem alright.

How do DIY have 0 chemistry?

Think I've read of a different plan for Cena

but the Joe promo just seemed to be playing off Truth's mention of Cena.

Yah, happy they finally put some kind of title on Joe.

I also kinda hate Aleister being part of a team. That's not really been in his character in NXT. Not really a play well with others kind of guy.

That spoiler would be an awful use of both of them.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the psychology of the Charlotte/Becky stuff. Didn't Becky just beat the **** out of Charlotte with her crutch a few weeks ago? I think I'd be wary of calling her back into the ring with me with that same weapon, especially for a pointless reason like "discussing her health" or whatever it was.

Then when Charlotte blindsides her, she briefly has the crutch and uses it once and then puts it down. Why not get revenge and beat the **** out of Becky with the crutch? And then a few moments later, suddenly Becky has the crutch. Why was she wanting to beat the **** out of Charlotte a few weeks ago with it, but now she's ok with not using it?

Just minor stuff, but kinda bugs me.

Ronda vs Becky would have been great. Over face vs heel monster champ writes itself.

Naturally Vince had to throw Charlotte and the Authority in because they have to be in everything important and the result is a cluster**** mess that I no longer care about.

I might be in the minority, but I've liked the idea of a three-way for a long time.

That said, they are getting there in the dumbest way possible. It makes less and less sense every week.

I really, really, really don't get why these should ever happen.

If you're contesting a singles title, there should be two people in the ring. I don't see wtf it should ever be a "TRIPLE THREAT!!!!" or a "FATAL FOURWAY!!!!!!!!".

Srslsy - it's a singles title. Does every ****ing singles main event these days have to involve more than two people for that?

Wouldn't say I like it, but it's easy to understand their motivation. Charlotte is someone they see as a big star in the future years, and she always delivers in big matches and can help execute the sort of big spots they want from a Mania main event. The match itself is almost certainly going to be awesome, and I'm sure the video package will make it seem like the build made sense.

But yeah, all of the booking contrivances were because they needed to get Charlotte in the match. So they had Becky get hurt, then get mad at authority until Vince overruled her and suspended her, then they had to book their way out of that suspension to make the match at Fastlane, etc. Hopefully that'll all be behind us by Sunday and we can move on to the three cutting promos on each other.

In other news, I'm talking myself into Ronda's "wrestling is scripted, I'm doing whatever the **** I want" gimmick being really smart, but I seem to be in the minority.

This.

I'm with you. This **** should be rare. It's doubly offensive when it's really inorganic. There are storylines that call for it on rare occasion, but I absolutely detest it when they decide on a three-way and then take incredible pains to shoehorn the story into it.

I haven't watched enough of this build to know how good or bad it is, but I'm predisposed to being unhappy with it just based on the fact that it's resulting in an unnecessary triple threat.

Sadly, a lot of people buy into the more is better logic, and wrestling fans now seem to love spotfests and lack patience for more technical/psychological one-on-one matches. In WWE's minds, I wonder if they thought Becky vs. Ronda would be "too boring" for the main event without Charlotte doing her stupid moonsault.

This is part of my broader complaint towards fans favoring "workrate" (which seems to be defined as "how many moves the wrestlers do regardless of how illogical it is") at the expense of storytelling that requires more patience. But I digress...

Agreed - while I stated it shouldn't ever happen, in really rare cases I agree it should.

These should be really rare though and rare enough that the fact that it happens itself makes it a big selling point and then only because a storyline naturally leads into it.

These days it's more "what story do we force here so we can cram the max amount of people into this match?".

Charlotte has no place whatsoever in this story and forcing her into it is not only screwing up what could be a great Ronda vs Becky-story, but it's messing up what could be a great seperate Charlotte-story too.

Charlotte has really impressed me with some great promos during the past weeks - she plays the audience really well. It'd be so much better if it was a story where she actually belonged though.

Can Sami come back today pls.

Sami would have to come back tomorrow. Think he's contractually obligated to follow KO, wherever he goes.

Also really hoping Batista adds to HHH's distortion of reality tonight by coming out in full Drax makeup and blaming the McMahon's for James Gunn being fired. Next week, Paul/HHH/Hunter will be in therapy with Dr. Shelby.

Perhaps I just run bad, but I really can't remember the last time I dropped in on Raw or SD and found that it was running anything that wasn't pure filler.

Who would have figured Shelton Benjamin and Dana Brooke involved in top of the hour segments?

I'm in late to this trash. I wonder if they'll go face-to-face and talk for 20 minutes despite how enraged Paul was last week at Dave. That'll certainly make it more real.

Kinda scary that Alexa is out this long from a concussion. Maybe even scarier she actually came back at the Rumble too, but is now out again.

It was nice of them to announce Nia was up next before going to a commercial

Both the US and IC titles have now been officially blemflarked. They are both now worth completely zero. A match for either championship has exactly the same level importance as a match with nothing on the line at all.

It's really kind of sad.