I believe somebody in the back told Cory to dial it down during 'Mella's matches and man, he did just THAT and it showed how terrible KP is as a commentator. That Bianca-Carmella match felt like an eternity because of the commentating. đ
It's was awesome but I'm too disappointed, I waited for one week for Zeigler And Mustafa stuff but all what i got is another omos squash match outta nowhere
Nope. In his first match on Smackdown, he was DQ'd because Drew was attacked by Kross then things went to black and white. He lost some matches on NXT if that counts.
I just hope Jey in the long run regrets his decision and gets BITCHED by Roman for this, Sami tried to lead them to waterâŚthe usos didnât wanna drink tho
I watched Cena-Theory promo on YT, and so far I'm a fan of the build for this match. When it comes to promos, or having the aura of a top star in some ways it feels like Cena is better than ever. There's no longer the same issues like during his prime/peak whether it was the "lol Super Cena wins" booking, or getting mixed crowd reactions. Now, because he has hit living legend status in recent years he's just thoroughly a babyface to the crowd, and as a result I think that helps to makes his babyface character that much better to have the crowd firmly support him like this.
Also, props to Cena for keeping it real with that pipe-in crowd noise reference/burn. it's kind of amazing that a line like that was said on WWE programming.
Ffs, they were so close to getting the perfect crescendo in this story. Sami and Jey vs Jimmy and Solo at Mania...
Now they can't do it, because itnwoll make no sense...
Was cool to see Cena and Cody together but that was added in pretty weirdly. Promo segment, Cena leaves, "Hey look its Cody!", segment ends. Thought that was gonna go somewhere but since it didn't it did feel a bit ham fisted.
That said, Cena vs Cody at WMXL anyone?
Going to believe the heel turn was part of Sami's master plan to break up the Bloodline. Jey had to make Roman believe that he was still part of the Bloodline to save Jimmy. That's why he had that emotional moment after the match. Jey knew he had to unwilling hurt his new BFF in order to save Jimmy from Roman.
Cena completely buried Theory there. He's right though. If he wins, so what. If he loses, he's a joke. Not sure how Theory, the man and performer, can save himself here.
Anyone else think Graves commentary was WAAAAYYYY off in the Bianca vs Carmella match? Like I thought he was sick or something because he was barely saying ANYTHING and being really quiet when he did speak with 1 word answers.
Yeah, and then he was just back to his usual self after the Carmella stuff. I think they just told him to turn it down during her matches considering how obnoxious he's been in recent times.
This RAW show was really solid and it's the first one that truly made me feel we're on the road to Wrestlemania. They furthered a bunch of storylines and announced 3 more matches. Logan/Seth's segment was fantastic (their dynamic will be great), Cena/Theory was a great segment, the Bloodline stuff with Sami has taken a new direction and also confirmation that Ronda isn't fighting for the tag titles at Mania which is great news. I still think Bianca/Asuka has had a disappointing build but for most part they've done a good job building up the PPV.
They could put a three-ton bronze statue of an ancient Greek wrestler in the ring with Chad Gable and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him give it a German suplex.
Iâm finding myself fast forwarding less and less every week itâs really good at the moment I was big on Zayn and Roman at mania but got to admit they have done the right thing got a funny feeling Zayn might be screwing over Kevin or Cody at mania and it was the Bloodlines plan all along
That would be interesting, to say the least, but there has been too much brutality done for it to make any sense. And even if Roman and the Uso's were to retain at 'mania, I don't see a way that it would be any bit believable, or reasonable for that to happen. It would piss people off in the wrong way.
Despite predicting every plot point they've done months ago, despite being sure of where they're going for WM...I \_STILL\_ got fished in by the hug....whether in matches or promo segments, these guys have just nailed giving the audience that tiny sliver of doubt in what they "know" and using that to play the emotions.
The victims of Roman fighting each other is so nonsensical. Much wouldâve preferred Sami getting the Usos and Solo away from Roman so that Reigns would have to defend his titles without his cronies.
well they had him refusing to beat up Sami and then walking out on his bro and the Bloodline, and openly defying Roman
they had him seem moved by Sami appeals before
Did cody ask cena for one more match? Cena said yes but couldn't promise one because he doesn't know how much he has left in him and that Theory took one of them.
From top to bottom this was an incredible show. There were like five or six segments that could have opened or closed the show. That's how stacked the card was.
I'm so hyped for WrestleMania.
It is wild, absolutely WILD, that anyone here thinks Jey has really gone back to full heel and the Bloodline is cool. Dear lord, I know there are years of Vince fucking up stories but like... this storyline deserves your trust, no?
i think the looming question will be is he truly a heel towards Sami right now, rather than will he someday turn against Roman after Roman loses the belts
the expectation that went around is that Jey would betray Sami and Kevin/Sami would wrassle the Usos
this helps set up most of that
the real curveball is if the Sami betrayal wasn't exactly real heh
So i just came to the realization that we all may be completely missing what is coming up at Wrestlemania. Cody being the Savior tonight and not KO is the giveaway. KO has known Sami the longest and doesn't trust him. I now feel it will be none other than Sami that cost Cody the belts. "Bloodline" will somehow be banned from ringside during the Main Event. But not Sami, he's no longer in it. Cody now trusts him and has came to his aide. Remember at the Rumble, Sami was to perform his last test. By that point, Cody already had won so we knew he would be at Mania. Maybe, just maybe it wasn't to turn on KO, but to convince everyone, including Cody, that he was against Roman. Remember, most "familes" are Blood in, Blood Out.
The Rumble was Sami's initiation. Sami's gets rewarded with the pop of his life and a Main Event at the Elimination Chamber in his hometown. Roman fulfilled his part of the deal that from the beginning was a way to help each other out. Sami went from mid carder that got no respect to Main Event level. Roman gets to break the record.
The interactions with Cody have almost felt forced and out of place to me. Also, Heyman has been randomly singing Sami's praises in interviews. It ends with Sami finally getting the Sami Uso title and sets up one hell of a Summer Slam match between Sami and Cody.
I genuinely could see something like this. Kofi mania and the yes movement they'd have been mad to miss that hype so they took it. Cody lost his build with the injury. I've long thought this Sami angle could be a long con scenario. It would make sense as a final test from rumble because that turn didn't make that much sense so out of the blue from someone who had tried so hard to be taken in. Cody loses at Mania, wins MITB, gets a custom case with his tat on it and cashes in at somewhere significant. But I think he cashes it in for a match, not for a cheap pin after Roman has had a match
IIRC, at the beginning of 2022, Alexa did those therapy skits, wrestled at EC under her Evil Persona, and then disappeared for months before coming back with the punk rock gimmick.
She started this year by bringing *back* the Evil PersonaâŚonly to get beaten by Bianca at the Rumble and then fading into nothingness once again. As an Alexa Fan, this sucks.
Anyone got any news about her future? Is she gonna miss Mania *again*?
At this point, I would have to think she returns at the show of shows fully re-embracing her Evil Persona to cost Lashley the match and reunite with Wyatt.
Well if reports are to be believed, the reason they paused the Wyatt story was because Alexa needed time off. It's expected that they'll pick it back up after Mania. Whatever they had planned was obviously the original Mania plan, but because that's delayed, they've pivoted to the Bobby stuff.
It feels like they're gonna use the Bobby stuff as a bridge, which will be interesting to watch. I'm actually super intrigued by this program now. It's so out of the left field and I love unusual pairings. I'm pretty certain that Howdy and a returning Alexa cost Bray the match at Mania to resume the original Howdy vs Bray angle they seemed to be building towards.
Welp⌠key word being âif.â
I remember last year, reports were saying that Alexa had to miss Mania because she was getting married, which is a valid reason. However, additional reports surfacing later on stated that Bliss *was* in fact available and willing to work WM38 but creative simply had nothing for her.
I am seeing an eerily similar parallel this year especially with her most recent tweets.
The latest developments with Bray ainât doing anyone any favors either. We both know Bo canât carry this program by himself.
Cena bodied Theory on the mic but I'm still happy for Theory. I can't imagine standing in the ring with my childhood hero in front of a sold out crowd.
Edge and Balor have the most personal match at Mania.. IMO. Like the Usos vs Sami and KO feels messy and complicated...but Edge vs Balor is just flat out hatred at this point ..
Cena - Theory promo was weird to say the least.
Theory says I challenge you.
Cena absolutely buries Theory.
Then Theory says something like blah blah⌠I still challenge you.
Cena says.. ok I will just ask the crowd.
Like WTF was that.
How come it's for the US Championship? This guy just survived the Elimination Chamber for his title and now Cena just gets to waltz in for the title shot? The match itself makes sense, but in kayfabe, why does Cena just get a shot? Plus, if it's not a title match, I feel like it's more believable that Cena would win.
So Kevin Owens still refuses to join Sami
i thought he might come out at the end of the show to help Sami, but did not.
they had Jey show up and seemingly join Sami but then betray him. so then Cody came out to help him.
unless Jey is still pulling a trick on the Bloodline, i guess it means they still gonna make Sami/Kevin happen and have the Usos together. so Kevin will come around....but ya know could turn on Sami anyways after the Bloodline is defeated.
if Jey is back as just a villain, the energy he was generating as a possible face is gone and the conflicts he's had for weeks ends up kinda empty i suppose.
the crowd was very ready for Jey to join Sami. of course it's always dangerous standing with any Uso since they can always superkick ya.
having Cody come save Sami was a good idea at least.
i did think it came off a bit awkward that the missions were to destroy Kevin and Sami but were kept pretty restricted to actual matches. in NXT it wouldn't work like that XD
and the ref stopping Jimmy from going after Sami and ejecting Solo, Roman needs to have that ref taken care of clearly, it's a conspiracy against the Bloodline!
side notes....
Dolph essentially got squashed by Omos. Mustafa is really getting into his super positive super insincere gimmick.
will Cena really beat Theory at Wrestlemania? or will Theory win and it become a teachable moment for someone who is the future?
Bianca escaped a rope pin.
Seth will have his work cut out for him if one punch from Logan Paul can knock him out.
Chad Gable picked up a win against Corbin who is still in a bad way.
>if Jey is back as just a villain, the energy he was generating as a possible face is gone and the conflicts he's had for weeks ends up kinda empty i suppose.
well, it depends on what the comflicts were... We'll see what happens friday. I think and have been thinking, the conflict he's had hasn't been sami vs roman...but shame for believing Sami in the first place. He didn't trust him for ages, then the moment he trusts him, even stands up for him in front of Roman, Sami betrays the bloodline for KO's sake.
I think the post WM storyline is Sami bringing Jey back from the dark side.
It was my first WWE event and I also thought we were real quiet at points, but after watching back we did pretty good. (I really gotta conserve my energy, I was full throat until about 9:30 p.m. and then started to lose my voice, lol.)
Still have to watch how they neutered us on TV but we definitely brought the energy in-person to the arena. Wish we had better in-ring matches but still a fun show
What a waste of Becky. I guess the moment was sweetened a bit by involvement of Trish and Lita and making Becky a tag champ with her childhood idol, but going from basically stealing the show at WrestleMania last year to a pointless 6 person tag to end a crappy 4 months feud with Bayley and DC is quite a downgrade.
> but going from basically stealing the show at WrestleMania last year
im not even hating but im trying so hard to remember what becky did last year at mania without googling it and i cant even recall
LOL!!!
I'm glad you are heartbroken. It's people like you who lack family values and wanted these guys to betray the person who's kept them together and made them more successful than they've ever been.
Anyone else worried about Samiâs crowd reactions dampening over the last few weeks? It seems like these monstrous pops every week have slowly died down and this week, it doesnât seem like anyone even moved for his entrance. They even piped in crowd reactions for a second if you go back and watch
You think it was just the fatigue of a three hour show kicking in? More often than not, it seems like those who go out early in shows get better reactions than those 3 hours later
Crowd definitely lost its steam after the Cena segment, and to be honest the energy in the arena seemed to be building and peaked with his segment. The Trish/Lita/Becky segment was almost entirely flat besides their entrances and besides the Jey Uso double cross, the main event was mostly flat. Everybody was done after Cena appeared
I personally think this is the reason Sami didn't go over Roman. How is Sami gonna draw outside the Bloodline storyline? It's a question that has to be answered before they are going to put a belt on him. I personally like him and hope he can maintain it and stay in the main event picture. But we have to remember a mouse trap was more over than him less than 12.months ago.
I personally think Sami was a proven draw in ratings for a long time, especially leading up to RR and EC. Lots of metrics worked in his favor. And FWIW, his t-shirt was their hottest item over those couple of months. Point being I think heâs a draw. Heâs not John Cena or Roman Reigns, but heâs capable and captivating enough to bring people in. I donât know if even Drew really had that in his favor when he was hot.
I think the EC moment wouldâve âmadeâ Sami. He ends the longest reign in modern history, he gets a Punk-in-Chicago level response from his home crowd and WWE gets another historic moment for their company sizzle reel. In terms of the reign - keep it super short. The appeal to Sami is in the chase, heâs never going to have lengthy reigns. But I think that EC win wouldâve been worth it because now itâs clear to me Sami isnât someone theyâre protecting so eventually todays crowds move on.
Iâd say theyâve dampened for three reasons.
1. No longer has the Canada boost
2. He has not been protected as a top guy wrestler. Heâs losing on TV. This doesnât happen to guys theyâre all in on.
3. The Elimination Chamber loss was very deflating and a clear message to fans that heâs not touching main event - and fans got the message and moved on
i hope Gargano got a new gimmick or something to do after WM. he got no crowd reaction, he can be a dick again with Austin Theory or maybe another Shorty "G"argano
I wish. Unfortunately, I think Cody has made it clear he wants the undisputed title. And I donât think it makes sense for any wrestler in kayfabe to want just one. But I wish Sami was involved. WWE gave a hard no to anyone who really had hope at EC that Sami may be a Mania main event worthy talent. So now weâre down this very predictable road
I know 3 hours is too long but sometimes I find RAW a lot more consistently enjoyable then SD, even when the Damage Ctrl stuff isn't the best their Womens division has been much more fun, JD kills it, Theory has had an interesting reign with a hell of a mid to upper card surrounding him and now we get a great chunk of the Bloodline/Cody/Sami story play out well...most of it is fun...
PS: Kevin Owens is just as bad a gaslighting A-Hole as Roman. Damn Sami helluva kick his ass as well.
They're getting the timing and pacing down to keep the show moving and entertaining.. it's still long, but they keep it going with the right mixture so i've been surrpsied when we hit the main event a lot lately.
as for KO...yeah. ALL of this is because KO didn't like his personal chew toy going off and finding people who liked having him around and weren't stabbing him in the back all of the time. It was him that was constantly placing the seeds of doubt in everyone minds, while Sami, Roman, and the rest were all being honest about their intentions.
Cena is so damn good on the mic.
Bloodline story is predictable yet theyâre still pulling it off at a high level.
Omos. Canât believe Brock agreed to this. Maybe because heâll get paid a lot for like a minute of work.
could someone explain to me why Jey Uso would double cross Sami? It doesnât seem to track besides the times when Sami would accidentally hit JeyâŚJeyâs reasoning doesnât make sense either. âThis is family ***â? It just feels tired at this pointâmy gut reaction is that they dropped the ball on the Jey Uso character. I wanted at least for him to have a singles run off of this while Jimmy and Solo do the tag stuffâŚbut this feels like creative wants Jey back to draw the battle lines. That way, Cody can show up and be the top guy while Sami/KO play second fiddle.
Hereâs my Cope:
Jay showed up and actually DID side with Sami, and told him he trusted him and acknowledged him, but when he say jimmy in the ring, all dejected and sad and scared, he had to kick Sami. So he kicked Sami and started talking shit not because he wanted to double cross Sami, but because he needed to save jimmy again. So he was talking shit to make it look good for Roman.. or he was talking shit to justify himself
It was too over the top. He didnât just attack Sami reluctantly like when Big Show would do the Authorityâs bidding. He angrily shouting at him and then threw him back in the ring to get double teamed and then triple teamed. If Cody hadnât showed up Sami would be a corpse.
My only theory is that on night 1 Roman tells Solo to stay back so he can be fresh to watch his back on night vs Cody. Jimmy and Jey lose clean but Solo tells his brothers what went down earlier. Jey then convinces his brothers of Romanâs selfishness, they walk out on him, no one has Romanâs back. Cody goes over, and ironically not in a âDustyâ finish.
The logic i see is basically the danger that's starting to come Jimmy's way to the fractures within the bloodline. last week, Roman threatened jimmy, and this week, paul threatened jimmy too. when roman forced jey into the bloodline, he did it through threatening jimmy
I wonder will we ever get a non title womenâs singles match at Mania. A lot of people thought we were gonna get it with Bayley and Becky this year but it didnât happen.
I still think it's going to happen, given that the trios match does not really involve the titles. Damage CTRL could cost Becky and Lita before Wrestlemania.
EDIT: Ooops, missed the "singles" part, my bad
Yeah I remember the pillow fight between Torrie/Candice at Mania 22
But also yeah I meant more towards modern times. The only other non title womenâs singles match theyâve done on main card was
Terri Runnels vs The Kat at Mania 16 in a âcatfightâ
And then the 2 non main card non title womenâs matches have been Jaqueline vs Ivory at Mania 15, which was taped for Sunday Night Heat. And then Natalya vs Liv Morgan at Mania 36, on the pre show
I think it was Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie at Summerslam 2021. Yeah youâre better off not remembering lol.
But I agree I hope we get another one by the end of this year on any PLE.
I love that 1992 Shawn Michaels basically cemented the "celebrate together fake out into superkick" betrayal as the single most heartbreaking (no pun intended) type of betrayal in wrestling
Other than the fact that yâall like Cody, how much does it really benefit business if Cody goes over at Mania? Is there going to be a more intriguing story involving him than there is right now with the Bloodline? I donât see that happening. Roman vs Cody, their personal story (feud?) has been all but a few weeks..why not stretch it out at least until SS and have Cody chase?
Much more has developed for longer and in a better wayâŚJey and Roman, Samiâs rise and redemption at some point etc. WWE now has a guy, two or three guys that are loved and one family thatâs hated but definitely gets people to tune in each week
Could someone explain to me why Cody NEEDS to win at Mania?
>Could someone explain to me why Cody NEEDS to win at Mania?
Because passing up on that moment would be asinine.
Cody has proved me and so many wrong since he left WWE. What heâs managed to do for himself since leaving WWE as stardust in 2016 is just incredible. He made himself into an absolute star, I mean thatâs what he is and itâs undeniable. Heâs been booked as a star and heâs delivered as a star in every facet since heâs come back to WWE. Heâs selling merch like crazy. You want to make Romans title reign end as perfect as possible and wrestlemania the perfect time and place for reigns to drop the title. Reigns title reign has to end on the grandest stage and heâs not going to keep the title unlit next mania. And Cody Rhodes is the perfect person to do that, to elevate him as a top guy alongside Roman for the next several years. a title-less Roman reigns will be interesting to see. That will be good and fresh for him. I donât think him keeping the title until summerslam would be good for his character. And Cody Rhodes is gong to have no shortage of good challengers and feuds going forward. A feud with him and orton is what I want to see. And thereâs Gunther, and a post Cena rub Austin theory. I do want him and Rollins to stay away from each other for a while until Rollins actually does beat him because he canât lose a 4th time in a row to Cody lol.
And Cody, Owens and Sami are all intertwined. They all have the same goal and thatâs to bring down the bloodline. Them all taking the bloodlines titles is perfect.
Iâve been screaming this since the Rumble and met with constant downvotes. Youâre right. This wasnât Codyâs year. The tagline is âfinish the storyâ when he didnât have the chance to tell most of it this year due to injury. Itâs more of a âfinish the storyâ arc for a Sami or a Jey, whoâs been in the weeds in wrestlingâs hottest story all year.
The short answer is WWE doesnât see those guys as top acts. Theyâre B+ players, loud and clear. And they want to jump right into Cody, who can be their lead guy for as long as Cody wants to keep doing this
For starters the Bloodline storyline doesn't really go anywhere after Mania unless Cody wins. Losing the titles is the catalyst for the next stage of the Bloodline storyline.
Ok, but where does Codyâs story go after he does the one thing he came back to WWE to do? Heâs supposed to be the main guy going forward that people tune in to see. Canât turn him heel, and how long will it take to turn a beloved guy against him to make a decent story? Like, where would you go with Cody as champ? How would Cody vs Seth be better the next time than Cody fighting with a legit injury? Because itâs now for titles that they werenât fighting for before?
Everyone who matters would be âgoodâ or on the way to being good if Roman loses the titles at Mania
Cody as champion opens up a bunch of matches we haven't seen before whereas Roman retaining just leads to rematches. Why would Cody and Seth fight again? They're both faces. Gunther, Lashley, Lesnar (after Heyman abandons the failing Bloodline and recruits him back.
He loses at WM, he's the geek whose own father probably thought was worthless, that couldn't get it done even with a weakened Bloodline, and now even dropped the baton Cena handed him as his white meat heir.
Parts of the IWC might love that, but the bulk of WWE's audience and the kids in particular that he's really connecting with likely won't, given the type of face he's supposed to be, and WWE will effectively being burning the guy that they seem to want to be their top good guy.
Also, if Reigns doesn't lose at 39, he's not losing until 40. It's setting yourself up for unnecessary disappointment to pretend this reign is ending anywhere but WWE's biggest stage this point.
Yeah, the company desperately needs a top babyface to build around and they're drawing a ton of money with Cody. They've got a chance to make a new guy and they need to take it.
Also the Bloodline story is so great right now because they're literally paying off every tease they've been building up to for three years. The idea that you could have Cody lose and continue this story at this pace for another, I mean you didn't give an exact timeframe but, let's say six months-- there's no way.
So basically you have asked why a story has to end at its natural climax, to which I can only laugh and shake my head wistfully at the fantasy booking on here.
I believe somebody in the back told Cory to dial it down during 'Mella's matches and man, he did just THAT and it showed how terrible KP is as a commentator. That Bianca-Carmella match felt like an eternity because of the commentating. đ
KP sounds like a child at the desk.
Good show
It's was awesome but I'm too disappointed, I waited for one week for Zeigler And Mustafa stuff but all what i got is another omos squash match outta nowhere
What were you expecting lmao
Has Solo Sikoa ever straight up lost? He seems very protected even against upper mid card
Nope. In his first match on Smackdown, he was DQ'd because Drew was attacked by Kross then things went to black and white. He lost some matches on NXT if that counts.
I just hope Jey in the long run regrets his decision and gets BITCHED by Roman for this, Sami tried to lead them to waterâŚthe usos didnât wanna drink tho
I watched Cena-Theory promo on YT, and so far I'm a fan of the build for this match. When it comes to promos, or having the aura of a top star in some ways it feels like Cena is better than ever. There's no longer the same issues like during his prime/peak whether it was the "lol Super Cena wins" booking, or getting mixed crowd reactions. Now, because he has hit living legend status in recent years he's just thoroughly a babyface to the crowd, and as a result I think that helps to makes his babyface character that much better to have the crowd firmly support him like this. Also, props to Cena for keeping it real with that pipe-in crowd noise reference/burn. it's kind of amazing that a line like that was said on WWE programming.
Man, what a finish to the show. A lot of fun to watch last night, didn't have that normal 3rd hour drag.
Ffs, they were so close to getting the perfect crescendo in this story. Sami and Jey vs Jimmy and Solo at Mania... Now they can't do it, because itnwoll make no sense...
Jey Uso broke our hearts. The crowd went nuclear for that 2 minute Jey Uso Babyface turn. Why does life have too be so cruel? :(
Give mella and green the tag belts asap. They are the most logical tag team since.... The iiconics really. Or the Kabuki warriors.
yesss...we need women tag teams, and teams with actual names too
Iiconics were so good
That was one of the best RAWs Iâve seen in I donât even know how long. That ending man, just perfection.
This segment has a time limit shut your mouth lol such a great heel
Was cool to see Cena and Cody together but that was added in pretty weirdly. Promo segment, Cena leaves, "Hey look its Cody!", segment ends. Thought that was gonna go somewhere but since it didn't it did feel a bit ham fisted. That said, Cena vs Cody at WMXL anyone?
Hands down one of the best RAW in a while. I enjoyed this show a lot!
Going to believe the heel turn was part of Sami's master plan to break up the Bloodline. Jey had to make Roman believe that he was still part of the Bloodline to save Jimmy. That's why he had that emotional moment after the match. Jey knew he had to unwilling hurt his new BFF in order to save Jimmy from Roman.
Cena completely buried Theory there. He's right though. If he wins, so what. If he loses, he's a joke. Not sure how Theory, the man and performer, can save himself here.
Kinda the whole point. Him beating Cena will make him. Do you not remember how Cena buried Roman on the mic years ago? Look at him now.
lol, everyone has been saying Theory is "buried" since Money in the Bank. His career is just getting started. He's fine.
Disagree. He's a total nobody.
lol, he's a current champion. Whether you personally like him or not doesn't determine whether he's a nobody.
Anyone else think Graves commentary was WAAAAYYYY off in the Bianca vs Carmella match? Like I thought he was sick or something because he was barely saying ANYTHING and being really quiet when he did speak with 1 word answers.
Thank God i thought i was crazy, he sounded like he didnt want to be there
Yeah, and then he was just back to his usual self after the Carmella stuff. I think they just told him to turn it down during her matches considering how obnoxious he's been in recent times.
>Obnoxious I wonder if you're Alive on the time of Bobby Heenan if you'd call him obnoxious
Which is a shame tbh, I was enjoying him sticking up for his wife like that, it fits him
Amazing show, it went so fast and there wasn't a bad bit.
Chelsea Greene and Carmella are future tag champs and I can't wait for how insufferable they become with the belts
[ŃдаНонО]
This RAW show was really solid and it's the first one that truly made me feel we're on the road to Wrestlemania. They furthered a bunch of storylines and announced 3 more matches. Logan/Seth's segment was fantastic (their dynamic will be great), Cena/Theory was a great segment, the Bloodline stuff with Sami has taken a new direction and also confirmation that Ronda isn't fighting for the tag titles at Mania which is great news. I still think Bianca/Asuka has had a disappointing build but for most part they've done a good job building up the PPV.
Neither Bianca or Asuka can cut a promo. Both can wrestle tho so we'll see. I usually prefer story to workrate
IK Jey and Jimmy both of them use Superkick as a signature move But I cant get over how brutal both of them make superkick look
Jimmy's super kick on Sami when he turned on reigns may as well have been a shotgun to the brain. Perfect.
John Cena and Austin Theoryâs face off is like WWEâs version of the MJF and CM Punk face off
you are crazy? MJF and CM Punk had a balanced discussion, as Theory barely spoke in this segment, Cena crushed Theory
Stu the Cameraman for HOF 2023
They could put a three-ton bronze statue of an ancient Greek wrestler in the ring with Chad Gable and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him give it a German suplex.
Gable would make that statue look like a million bucks
Four-star match almost guaranteed.
Iâm finding myself fast forwarding less and less every week itâs really good at the moment I was big on Zayn and Roman at mania but got to admit they have done the right thing got a funny feeling Zayn might be screwing over Kevin or Cody at mania and it was the Bloodlines plan all along
That would be interesting, to say the least, but there has been too much brutality done for it to make any sense. And even if Roman and the Uso's were to retain at 'mania, I don't see a way that it would be any bit believable, or reasonable for that to happen. It would piss people off in the wrong way.
Yeh I think youâre right it would be a twist for the sake of a twist the right thing is for Sami and Kev to beat the usos at mania
I enjoyed it. Fun show.
I can't believe they let Cena say that WWE is piping in crowd noise lol
Remember Cena Told Roman he Cant cut a promo. Part time Cena is a different savage
Knowing what Jey was going to do was like watching the end of Old Yeller, and no not fucking flair
Despite predicting every plot point they've done months ago, despite being sure of where they're going for WM...I \_STILL\_ got fished in by the hug....whether in matches or promo segments, these guys have just nailed giving the audience that tiny sliver of doubt in what they "know" and using that to play the emotions.
Glad they're letting Logan be the natural heel he is. Didn't he turn on Miz awhile back?
Miz turned on him ironically he was a face ever since.
Man Jey just regressing like that is so sad. This Bloodline story has just sort of fallen apart since Elimination Chamber and that's a damn shame.
The victims of Roman fighting each other is so nonsensical. Much wouldâve preferred Sami getting the Usos and Solo away from Roman so that Reigns would have to defend his titles without his cronies.
Him betraying his twin brother for someone who talks about destroying bloodline and beats up said brother was always silly
well they had him refusing to beat up Sami and then walking out on his bro and the Bloodline, and openly defying Roman they had him seem moved by Sami appeals before
Underrated funny moment: Adam Pearce just noping out when he saw Carmella and Chelsea.
Did cody ask cena for one more match? Cena said yes but couldn't promise one because he doesn't know how much he has left in him and that Theory took one of them.
From top to bottom this was an incredible show. There were like five or six segments that could have opened or closed the show. That's how stacked the card was. I'm so hyped for WrestleMania.
i suppose folks will have to wait for Smackdown for the next part of the Bobby-Bray thing a recap and Bobby briefly recapping and then no Bray on RAW
What was "that last bit" Cena was referring to?
The testicles
His nuts
It is wild, absolutely WILD, that anyone here thinks Jey has really gone back to full heel and the Bloodline is cool. Dear lord, I know there are years of Vince fucking up stories but like... this storyline deserves your trust, no?
i think the looming question will be is he truly a heel towards Sami right now, rather than will he someday turn against Roman after Roman loses the belts the expectation that went around is that Jey would betray Sami and Kevin/Sami would wrassle the Usos this helps set up most of that the real curveball is if the Sami betrayal wasn't exactly real heh
So i just came to the realization that we all may be completely missing what is coming up at Wrestlemania. Cody being the Savior tonight and not KO is the giveaway. KO has known Sami the longest and doesn't trust him. I now feel it will be none other than Sami that cost Cody the belts. "Bloodline" will somehow be banned from ringside during the Main Event. But not Sami, he's no longer in it. Cody now trusts him and has came to his aide. Remember at the Rumble, Sami was to perform his last test. By that point, Cody already had won so we knew he would be at Mania. Maybe, just maybe it wasn't to turn on KO, but to convince everyone, including Cody, that he was against Roman. Remember, most "familes" are Blood in, Blood Out. The Rumble was Sami's initiation. Sami's gets rewarded with the pop of his life and a Main Event at the Elimination Chamber in his hometown. Roman fulfilled his part of the deal that from the beginning was a way to help each other out. Sami went from mid carder that got no respect to Main Event level. Roman gets to break the record. The interactions with Cody have almost felt forced and out of place to me. Also, Heyman has been randomly singing Sami's praises in interviews. It ends with Sami finally getting the Sami Uso title and sets up one hell of a Summer Slam match between Sami and Cody.
I'll be honest this plot twist sounds pretty stupid, like wcw 2000 stupid.
I genuinely could see something like this. Kofi mania and the yes movement they'd have been mad to miss that hype so they took it. Cody lost his build with the injury. I've long thought this Sami angle could be a long con scenario. It would make sense as a final test from rumble because that turn didn't make that much sense so out of the blue from someone who had tried so hard to be taken in. Cody loses at Mania, wins MITB, gets a custom case with his tat on it and cashes in at somewhere significant. But I think he cashes it in for a match, not for a cheap pin after Roman has had a match
I don't know how to feel about this but I'm sure that if this happens, the reactions would be a sight to behold.
It would create the most nuclear heat coming out of wrestlemania.
The Bloodline, season 2!
If Dean Ambrose was still in WWE, he would be a good candidate for the one who would dethrone Roman.
lolno
I love moxley as much as the next person but Ambrose was a joke.
IIRC, at the beginning of 2022, Alexa did those therapy skits, wrestled at EC under her Evil Persona, and then disappeared for months before coming back with the punk rock gimmick. She started this year by bringing *back* the Evil PersonaâŚonly to get beaten by Bianca at the Rumble and then fading into nothingness once again. As an Alexa Fan, this sucks. Anyone got any news about her future? Is she gonna miss Mania *again*? At this point, I would have to think she returns at the show of shows fully re-embracing her Evil Persona to cost Lashley the match and reunite with Wyatt.
Well if reports are to be believed, the reason they paused the Wyatt story was because Alexa needed time off. It's expected that they'll pick it back up after Mania. Whatever they had planned was obviously the original Mania plan, but because that's delayed, they've pivoted to the Bobby stuff. It feels like they're gonna use the Bobby stuff as a bridge, which will be interesting to watch. I'm actually super intrigued by this program now. It's so out of the left field and I love unusual pairings. I'm pretty certain that Howdy and a returning Alexa cost Bray the match at Mania to resume the original Howdy vs Bray angle they seemed to be building towards.
Welp⌠key word being âif.â I remember last year, reports were saying that Alexa had to miss Mania because she was getting married, which is a valid reason. However, additional reports surfacing later on stated that Bliss *was* in fact available and willing to work WM38 but creative simply had nothing for her. I am seeing an eerily similar parallel this year especially with her most recent tweets. The latest developments with Bray ainât doing anyone any favors either. We both know Bo canât carry this program by himself.
She said she was taking a break after that match. Probably gonna last post-Mania given thereâs nothing for her to do.
**Damn.**
Death, Taxes and ~~Chad Gable~~ Baron Corbin eating the pin Lone Wolf to aspiring Maximum Male Model - What a downfall
Cena bodied Theory on the mic but I'm still happy for Theory. I can't imagine standing in the ring with my childhood hero in front of a sold out crowd. Edge and Balor have the most personal match at Mania.. IMO. Like the Usos vs Sami and KO feels messy and complicated...but Edge vs Balor is just flat out hatred at this point ..
I want to see a demon Finn entrance vs a Brood edge entrance.
Cena - Theory promo was weird to say the least. Theory says I challenge you. Cena absolutely buries Theory. Then Theory says something like blah blah⌠I still challenge you. Cena says.. ok I will just ask the crowd. Like WTF was that.
How come it's for the US Championship? This guy just survived the Elimination Chamber for his title and now Cena just gets to waltz in for the title shot? The match itself makes sense, but in kayfabe, why does Cena just get a shot? Plus, if it's not a title match, I feel like it's more believable that Cena would win.
completely agree with you on this
It was a bit weird but Cenas been gone so long and they want him at Mania in a few weeks they had no time to build anything
they didn't want to risk him moping in the front row with his beer like that one year
Damn Cena did Theory like he did Roman đ
So Kevin Owens still refuses to join Sami i thought he might come out at the end of the show to help Sami, but did not. they had Jey show up and seemingly join Sami but then betray him. so then Cody came out to help him. unless Jey is still pulling a trick on the Bloodline, i guess it means they still gonna make Sami/Kevin happen and have the Usos together. so Kevin will come around....but ya know could turn on Sami anyways after the Bloodline is defeated. if Jey is back as just a villain, the energy he was generating as a possible face is gone and the conflicts he's had for weeks ends up kinda empty i suppose. the crowd was very ready for Jey to join Sami. of course it's always dangerous standing with any Uso since they can always superkick ya. having Cody come save Sami was a good idea at least. i did think it came off a bit awkward that the missions were to destroy Kevin and Sami but were kept pretty restricted to actual matches. in NXT it wouldn't work like that XD and the ref stopping Jimmy from going after Sami and ejecting Solo, Roman needs to have that ref taken care of clearly, it's a conspiracy against the Bloodline! side notes.... Dolph essentially got squashed by Omos. Mustafa is really getting into his super positive super insincere gimmick. will Cena really beat Theory at Wrestlemania? or will Theory win and it become a teachable moment for someone who is the future? Bianca escaped a rope pin. Seth will have his work cut out for him if one punch from Logan Paul can knock him out. Chad Gable picked up a win against Corbin who is still in a bad way.
>if Jey is back as just a villain, the energy he was generating as a possible face is gone and the conflicts he's had for weeks ends up kinda empty i suppose. well, it depends on what the comflicts were... We'll see what happens friday. I think and have been thinking, the conflict he's had hasn't been sami vs roman...but shame for believing Sami in the first place. He didn't trust him for ages, then the moment he trusts him, even stands up for him in front of Roman, Sami betrays the bloodline for KO's sake. I think the post WM storyline is Sami bringing Jey back from the dark side.
Bayley about to break Twitter
Big ups to the Boston crowd tonight. I was there and it kinda sounded like we were a little subdued, but watching clips holy shit were we loud.
It was my first WWE event and I also thought we were real quiet at points, but after watching back we did pretty good. (I really gotta conserve my energy, I was full throat until about 9:30 p.m. and then started to lose my voice, lol.)
Still have to watch how they neutered us on TV but we definitely brought the energy in-person to the arena. Wish we had better in-ring matches but still a fun show
Any fun stuff after the cameras stopped rolling?
Nope
I think they did us some justice. This is one of the few times I can genuinely hear people singing Codyâs song, usually just the whoa comes across
What a waste of Becky. I guess the moment was sweetened a bit by involvement of Trish and Lita and making Becky a tag champ with her childhood idol, but going from basically stealing the show at WrestleMania last year to a pointless 6 person tag to end a crappy 4 months feud with Bayley and DC is quite a downgrade.
> but going from basically stealing the show at WrestleMania last year im not even hating but im trying so hard to remember what becky did last year at mania without googling it and i cant even recall
She put over the current RAW Women's Champion in what was considered one of the best matches on the card?
For some reason I thought that match was in SummerSlam
Becky put Bianca over at WM and Summerslam. Wm is where Bianca won the title and Summersam is when Becky turned back face and Damage Ctrl debuted
>The crowd chants holy shit as Jey superkicks Sami! My heart shattered into pieces. You can even call that a heartbreak kick.
LOL!!! I'm glad you are heartbroken. It's people like you who lack family values and wanted these guys to betray the person who's kept them together and made them more successful than they've ever been.
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Grammars.
\*oh oh shawn\*!!!!
I swear they could hand the Miz a damn phone book, tell him to read it in the ring, and it would somehow just be insanely entertaining.
Those were Stone Cold attitude era pops. Holy shit.
Has Lita ever won a WM match?
Nope.
Anyone else worried about Samiâs crowd reactions dampening over the last few weeks? It seems like these monstrous pops every week have slowly died down and this week, it doesnât seem like anyone even moved for his entrance. They even piped in crowd reactions for a second if you go back and watch
I was there tonight and Boston was pretty hot for him early in the show but definitely not as much for his entrance
You think it was just the fatigue of a three hour show kicking in? More often than not, it seems like those who go out early in shows get better reactions than those 3 hours later
Crowd definitely lost its steam after the Cena segment, and to be honest the energy in the arena seemed to be building and peaked with his segment. The Trish/Lita/Becky segment was almost entirely flat besides their entrances and besides the Jey Uso double cross, the main event was mostly flat. Everybody was done after Cena appeared
I personally think this is the reason Sami didn't go over Roman. How is Sami gonna draw outside the Bloodline storyline? It's a question that has to be answered before they are going to put a belt on him. I personally like him and hope he can maintain it and stay in the main event picture. But we have to remember a mouse trap was more over than him less than 12.months ago.
I personally think Sami was a proven draw in ratings for a long time, especially leading up to RR and EC. Lots of metrics worked in his favor. And FWIW, his t-shirt was their hottest item over those couple of months. Point being I think heâs a draw. Heâs not John Cena or Roman Reigns, but heâs capable and captivating enough to bring people in. I donât know if even Drew really had that in his favor when he was hot. I think the EC moment wouldâve âmadeâ Sami. He ends the longest reign in modern history, he gets a Punk-in-Chicago level response from his home crowd and WWE gets another historic moment for their company sizzle reel. In terms of the reign - keep it super short. The appeal to Sami is in the chase, heâs never going to have lengthy reigns. But I think that EC win wouldâve been worth it because now itâs clear to me Sami isnât someone theyâre protecting so eventually todays crowds move on.
Iâd say theyâve dampened for three reasons. 1. No longer has the Canada boost 2. He has not been protected as a top guy wrestler. Heâs losing on TV. This doesnât happen to guys theyâre all in on. 3. The Elimination Chamber loss was very deflating and a clear message to fans that heâs not touching main event - and fans got the message and moved on
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Even pre Canada, while Sami was in the Bloodline, he was getting consistent pops. Not so much anymore
This is looking like one of, if not, THE best Wrestlemania in the last decade.
Thanks to Papa H
Bro, holy fucking shit.....I haven't been this excited for Cena since I was a kid. I want him to win more than Cody lol
Nobody pointed at the WrestleMania sign. This is disappointing.
They did a lot of nodding towards it. 
disapPOINTING
Cena did
Vince McMahon strikes again.
who honestly told Theory to grow that beard, dude was fine with the goatee.
he grew it as he was transitioning into Angry Theory tho now he is largely back to his old character minus the selfies kept the beard
MontrĂŠal with another fire crowd
bro what!??!
A huge portion of that crowd was from MontrĂŠal
Can confirm, there was a lot of French heard out on Causeway before the show
That was just the dialect of drunkbostonian, the translation was lost many years ago
i hope Gargano got a new gimmick or something to do after WM. he got no crowd reaction, he can be a dick again with Austin Theory or maybe another Shorty "G"argano
Jey telling Sami âI trust youâ before the superkick is giving me Dumbledore âSeverusâŚpleaseâ vibes
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>Only Way this works Nope. Thank god you're not the booker
nah....codys slaying the final boss, sami/ko will take out the second level of the bloodline in the usos
I wish. Unfortunately, I think Cody has made it clear he wants the undisputed title. And I donât think it makes sense for any wrestler in kayfabe to want just one. But I wish Sami was involved. WWE gave a hard no to anyone who really had hope at EC that Sami may be a Mania main event worthy talent. So now weâre down this very predictable road
I know 3 hours is too long but sometimes I find RAW a lot more consistently enjoyable then SD, even when the Damage Ctrl stuff isn't the best their Womens division has been much more fun, JD kills it, Theory has had an interesting reign with a hell of a mid to upper card surrounding him and now we get a great chunk of the Bloodline/Cody/Sami story play out well...most of it is fun... PS: Kevin Owens is just as bad a gaslighting A-Hole as Roman. Damn Sami helluva kick his ass as well.
They're getting the timing and pacing down to keep the show moving and entertaining.. it's still long, but they keep it going with the right mixture so i've been surrpsied when we hit the main event a lot lately. as for KO...yeah. ALL of this is because KO didn't like his personal chew toy going off and finding people who liked having him around and weren't stabbing him in the back all of the time. It was him that was constantly placing the seeds of doubt in everyone minds, while Sami, Roman, and the rest were all being honest about their intentions.
Cena is so damn good on the mic. Bloodline story is predictable yet theyâre still pulling it off at a high level. Omos. Canât believe Brock agreed to this. Maybe because heâll get paid a lot for like a minute of work.
could someone explain to me why Jey Uso would double cross Sami? It doesnât seem to track besides the times when Sami would accidentally hit JeyâŚJeyâs reasoning doesnât make sense either. âThis is family ***â? It just feels tired at this pointâmy gut reaction is that they dropped the ball on the Jey Uso character. I wanted at least for him to have a singles run off of this while Jimmy and Solo do the tag stuffâŚbut this feels like creative wants Jey back to draw the battle lines. That way, Cody can show up and be the top guy while Sami/KO play second fiddle.
Hereâs my Cope: Jay showed up and actually DID side with Sami, and told him he trusted him and acknowledged him, but when he say jimmy in the ring, all dejected and sad and scared, he had to kick Sami. So he kicked Sami and started talking shit not because he wanted to double cross Sami, but because he needed to save jimmy again. So he was talking shit to make it look good for Roman.. or he was talking shit to justify himself
because he was saving his brother from a beat down from roman, jey is NOT doing this to fall back in line with roman, his doing this for his twin.
They can play it like he's doing it to protect his brother from Roman
It was too over the top. He didnât just attack Sami reluctantly like when Big Show would do the Authorityâs bidding. He angrily shouting at him and then threw him back in the ring to get double teamed and then triple teamed. If Cody hadnât showed up Sami would be a corpse.
Roman wouldnât have believed Jey was actually back on his side if Jey was sad about kicking Sami
My only theory is that on night 1 Roman tells Solo to stay back so he can be fresh to watch his back on night vs Cody. Jimmy and Jey lose clean but Solo tells his brothers what went down earlier. Jey then convinces his brothers of Romanâs selfishness, they walk out on him, no one has Romanâs back. Cody goes over, and ironically not in a âDustyâ finish.
The logic i see is basically the danger that's starting to come Jimmy's way to the fractures within the bloodline. last week, Roman threatened jimmy, and this week, paul threatened jimmy too. when roman forced jey into the bloodline, he did it through threatening jimmy
I wonder will we ever get a non title womenâs singles match at Mania. A lot of people thought we were gonna get it with Bayley and Becky this year but it didnât happen.
I still think it's going to happen, given that the trios match does not really involve the titles. Damage CTRL could cost Becky and Lita before Wrestlemania. EDIT: Ooops, missed the "singles" part, my bad
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Yeah I remember the pillow fight between Torrie/Candice at Mania 22 But also yeah I meant more towards modern times. The only other non title womenâs singles match theyâve done on main card was Terri Runnels vs The Kat at Mania 16 in a âcatfightâ And then the 2 non main card non title womenâs matches have been Jaqueline vs Ivory at Mania 15, which was taped for Sunday Night Heat. And then Natalya vs Liv Morgan at Mania 36, on the pre show
I'd settle for one at even a non-WM PLE. I honestly can't even remember the last one at this point.
I think it was Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie at Summerslam 2021. Yeah youâre better off not remembering lol. But I agree I hope we get another one by the end of this year on any PLE.
Good god thatâs depressing
Itâs kind of ridiculous given the roster they have.
I love that 1992 Shawn Michaels basically cemented the "celebrate together fake out into superkick" betrayal as the single most heartbreaking (no pun intended) type of betrayal in wrestling
1992 bud
You're right, for some reason I thought it wasn't in the lead up to the Flair rumble but the one after. Edited
no worries just having your back
Thatâs not how I remember it. That coward Jannetty literally jumped through a glass window to escape.
Will you stop?!
We need a bot that replies to everyone who says this, reminding them that the correct quote is "Are you blind?!?!"
maybe the "will you stop?" is for this overused joke to be over with lol
This fucking Jannetty window "WiLl yOu sToP" shit is the new "bUt nObOdY's tHeRe, I CaN't sEe cEnA"
You can't see Cena? ARE YOU BLIND?
also the Raw before Mania we absolutely need KO/Sami/Cody vs Usos/Solo
plan to do that on wwe 2k23 you read my mind
Wow Theory got bodied on stage
Have not watched the promo yet but just reading it ...holy shit Cena tore him to fucking shreds
Other than the fact that yâall like Cody, how much does it really benefit business if Cody goes over at Mania? Is there going to be a more intriguing story involving him than there is right now with the Bloodline? I donât see that happening. Roman vs Cody, their personal story (feud?) has been all but a few weeks..why not stretch it out at least until SS and have Cody chase? Much more has developed for longer and in a better wayâŚJey and Roman, Samiâs rise and redemption at some point etc. WWE now has a guy, two or three guys that are loved and one family thatâs hated but definitely gets people to tune in each week Could someone explain to me why Cody NEEDS to win at Mania?
>Could someone explain to me why Cody NEEDS to win at Mania? Because passing up on that moment would be asinine. Cody has proved me and so many wrong since he left WWE. What heâs managed to do for himself since leaving WWE as stardust in 2016 is just incredible. He made himself into an absolute star, I mean thatâs what he is and itâs undeniable. Heâs been booked as a star and heâs delivered as a star in every facet since heâs come back to WWE. Heâs selling merch like crazy. You want to make Romans title reign end as perfect as possible and wrestlemania the perfect time and place for reigns to drop the title. Reigns title reign has to end on the grandest stage and heâs not going to keep the title unlit next mania. And Cody Rhodes is the perfect person to do that, to elevate him as a top guy alongside Roman for the next several years. a title-less Roman reigns will be interesting to see. That will be good and fresh for him. I donât think him keeping the title until summerslam would be good for his character. And Cody Rhodes is gong to have no shortage of good challengers and feuds going forward. A feud with him and orton is what I want to see. And thereâs Gunther, and a post Cena rub Austin theory. I do want him and Rollins to stay away from each other for a while until Rollins actually does beat him because he canât lose a 4th time in a row to Cody lol. And Cody, Owens and Sami are all intertwined. They all have the same goal and thatâs to bring down the bloodline. Them all taking the bloodlines titles is perfect.
Iâve been screaming this since the Rumble and met with constant downvotes. Youâre right. This wasnât Codyâs year. The tagline is âfinish the storyâ when he didnât have the chance to tell most of it this year due to injury. Itâs more of a âfinish the storyâ arc for a Sami or a Jey, whoâs been in the weeds in wrestlingâs hottest story all year. The short answer is WWE doesnât see those guys as top acts. Theyâre B+ players, loud and clear. And they want to jump right into Cody, who can be their lead guy for as long as Cody wants to keep doing this
For starters the Bloodline storyline doesn't really go anywhere after Mania unless Cody wins. Losing the titles is the catalyst for the next stage of the Bloodline storyline.
Ok, but where does Codyâs story go after he does the one thing he came back to WWE to do? Heâs supposed to be the main guy going forward that people tune in to see. Canât turn him heel, and how long will it take to turn a beloved guy against him to make a decent story? Like, where would you go with Cody as champ? How would Cody vs Seth be better the next time than Cody fighting with a legit injury? Because itâs now for titles that they werenât fighting for before? Everyone who matters would be âgoodâ or on the way to being good if Roman loses the titles at Mania
Cody as champion opens up a bunch of matches we haven't seen before whereas Roman retaining just leads to rematches. Why would Cody and Seth fight again? They're both faces. Gunther, Lashley, Lesnar (after Heyman abandons the failing Bloodline and recruits him back.
If he's ready to come back, I foresee Cody ending the Raw after Wrestlemania getting hit out of nowhere with the RKO.
He loses at WM, he's the geek whose own father probably thought was worthless, that couldn't get it done even with a weakened Bloodline, and now even dropped the baton Cena handed him as his white meat heir. Parts of the IWC might love that, but the bulk of WWE's audience and the kids in particular that he's really connecting with likely won't, given the type of face he's supposed to be, and WWE will effectively being burning the guy that they seem to want to be their top good guy. Also, if Reigns doesn't lose at 39, he's not losing until 40. It's setting yourself up for unnecessary disappointment to pretend this reign is ending anywhere but WWE's biggest stage this point.
Yeah, the company desperately needs a top babyface to build around and they're drawing a ton of money with Cody. They've got a chance to make a new guy and they need to take it. Also the Bloodline story is so great right now because they're literally paying off every tease they've been building up to for three years. The idea that you could have Cody lose and continue this story at this pace for another, I mean you didn't give an exact timeframe but, let's say six months-- there's no way. So basically you have asked why a story has to end at its natural climax, to which I can only laugh and shake my head wistfully at the fantasy booking on here.