So, truth be told, I didn’t watch the entirety of RAW – mostly bits and pieces here and there – but there were a couple notes from the show that I wanted to touch upon quickly.
Perhaps the most significant of all is the news that starting in October, which will begin the final stretch of RAW episodes on USA Network before the move to Netflix, will see RAW’s run time be reduced from the daunting three-hour marathons to the usual two hour format similar to Smackdown and NXT. Some people see this as a bad thing – one less hour equals less ads, although considering this is a last minute short-term deal, I don’t think anyone really minded that point – while others see this as a good thing in that more people will be more likely to watch the show and stick with it throughout.
Count me in the latter category. I have seen far more episodes of 2-hour RAWs that I have 3 hour RAWs and even during the 3-hour sessions, I’m skipping through most of it. With two hours, it makes for a more quick paced show and there’s less padding overall. While I’m sure some people are upset by this news, trust me. This is going to be a good move going forward and might be a sampler of things to come when the Netflix era rolls around.
(Scratch that. Word has it RAW will return to three hours when it hits Netflix. So much for that.)
As far as actual happenings on the show? Bret Hart and Gunther’s interaction was fun for a bit, though I’d imagine not as fun as Bret and HHH hugging it out, where I’d imagine Bret told HHH that he’s still a 4/10 wrestler. Jey Uso looks to challenge Bron Breakker for the IC title and fuck knows if they ever pull some kind of trigger on the guy, who was a genuinely hot act last year and now has sort of become just another guy… letting hot guys become just another guy is the other place’s schtick, Hunter. Also, Nattie being a surprise partner in a multi-woman match at a show taking place in Calgary………………………………… Alberta, Canada is no surprise at all. And of course, there was the Wyatt Sicks/American Made street fight that opened up the show, which was a fun little match.
Regarding the Wyatt Sicks, I am largely ambivalent… which means I don’t particularly care for it, but don’t entirely hate it either. Believe it or not, that’s actually a good thing and it tells me that they haven’t completely screwed any pooch with this one. There’s still time, though.
Regarding new announcer Joe Tessitore? I’ll need a few more listens to gauge a proper opinion on the dude, but so far, I’m liking what I hear. Guy’s got a good voice, seems well into the action, and doesn’t come across as a total goof who hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about. WWE has tried other real sportscasters for the RAW role and they never quite worked out, but they got something with this Tessitore guy. He just needs a couple weeks to find a footing (and maybe a witty catchphrase or two), but he’s off to a good start.
That’s about it.
Later.
dtm666 