WWE Raw Results - Spoilers Ahead

Tonight's WWE RAW season premiere kicks off with a look back at Sting and Seth Rollins from last week.

- We're live from Memphis as Michael Cole welcomes us. He's joined by JBL and Byron Saxton. Triple H's music hits and out he comes with Stephanie McMahon to the ring. There's a big Connor's Cure logo on the ramp for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

Stephanie welcomes us to the season premiere of RAW. Triple H says saying this year has been a massive success would be an understatement. Stephanie names several Superstars and Divas that have made a mark on WWE this year. They say one man will lead the new class of WWE stars into the future - the WWE United States and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Fans boo. Triple H says Rollins has a chance to cement his legacy for forever on Sunday at Night of Champions. John Cena's name gets a big mixed reaction while Sting's name gets a bigger pop. Stephanie talks about tonight's WWE Divas Title match and says we're guaranteed to see history. Triple H says more history will be made tonight as Sting will wrestle on RAW for the first time ever. His opponent will be Big Show. They hype tonight's show and Stephanie introduces the WWE Tag Team Title match.

WWE Tag Team Title Match: The Prime Time Players vs. The New Day

Stephanie starts dancing as WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day make their way out. They get in the ring and now she's really dancing with them. Triple H looks on from the apron but actually comes in and starts dancing with Big E. Truly a must see moment. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Titus O'Neil ad Darren Young. We get formal ring introductions from Lilian Garcia. Back and forth to start. It comes to Titus and Big E in the ring now. Titus with a big slam and a pin attempt. Young comes back in with double teaming. We see The Dudley Boyz watching backstage. Big E with a belly to belly on Titus. Xavier Woods plays his trombone at ringside. Kofi Kingston comes in and beats on Titus. Young gets a hot tag and unloads but Big E turns it around and New Day is in control as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Young is fighting back but Kofi uppercuts him and throws him to the floor. Big E tags in and shoves him into a Kofi kick. Titus comes over to stop the shenanigans as Big E keeps beating on Young. Big E drives Young back into the barrier. Kofi tags back in and keeps Young down as Titus rallies the crowd. Young tries to make a tag but Kofi trips him on his face. Kofi goes to the top but lands on Young's boots.

Titus comes in and unloads on both Kofi and Big E. Kofi gets thrown to the floor. Big E eats a big boot. Titus barks and catches Kofi in mid-air. Titus hits three backbreakers and tosses Kofi. Titus splashes both Kofi and Big E in the corner at the same time. He slams Big E for a 2 count. Titus blocks a Big Ending and hits a spinebuster. Woods gets on the apron. Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise on the floor on Young. Big E nails Titus from behind while Woods distracts. Kofi comes in and they hit the double team for the win.

Winners: The New Day

- After the match, The New Day celebrates while The Dudley Boyz come out to the stage and they taunt each other.

- Still to come, the Divas Title match and MizTV with The Wyatt Family. Also, Sting vs. Big Show. We get a look back at NWA Starrcade 1998 with Sting and Dusty Rhodes vs. The Road Warriors. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Stephanie is joking with Triple H backstage about their dancing with The New Day. Seth Rollins is there and he praises them for putting together tonight's show. This leads to Triple H making Sheamus vs. John Cena for tonight.

- We get a look back at Nikki Bella and Charlotte from last week. Renee Young is backstage with Charlotte and Ric Flair right now. She asks how she's been preparing for tonight. Charlotte says it has been a dream of hers since she stepped in a ring. She talks about carrying on her dad's legacy and says it doesn't get better than having him here. Flair is fired up and says he's living vicariously through Charlotte. He hypes the Divas Revolution and tonight's title match. Charlotte says her focus is the Divas Title but the Divas Revolution is more like an evolution. She talks about The Bella Army falling and they leave with "whooos!"

Paige vs. Sasha Banks

We go to the ring and out comes Paige and Becky Lynch. Cole notes Charlotte isn't coming out because she's getting ready. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Sasha Banks with Tamina Snuka and Naomi. The bell rings and Paige goes right to work and they start brawling all over the mat. The referee tries to separate them but Paige tosses Sasha by her hair. Paige with another toss across the ring. Sasha takes Paige to the apron and drops her, sending her out to the floor. Sasha follows and brings her back in for a 2 count.

Sasha works on the arm now. Sasha keeps control and shows off some. Paige turns it around in the corner and hits a knee. Paige with kicks and a 2 count. More back and forth and counters. Paige with a big German suplex, dumping Sasha on her head. Sasha rolls to the floor for a breather. Paige gets the crowd hype as the referee counts Sasha. Paige leaps off the apron but Tamina pulls Sasha out of the way and Paige lands hard on the floor. Back in the ring and Sasha gets the win with a Bank Statement.

Winner: Sasha Banks

- After the match, Team BAD beats Becky and Paige down before tossing them out of the ring and posing together.

- Still to come, The Wyatt Family on MizTV. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and we get a video for Connor Michalek, Connor's Cure and Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

- We go to the ring and The Miz is set up for the season premiere of MizTV. He welcomes us. Miz introduces his guests and out comes Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Braun Strowman.

Wyatt takes a seat as Braun and Harper stand behind him. Miz goes to take his seat but Wyatt makes him stand. Miz promises he isn't the mystery partner for Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Miz asks who is Braun Strowman. Wyatt tells Miz to ask him. Braun takes off his mask and stares at Miz. Wyatt runs down Miz and says he wants everyone to suffer, to pay for their sins. He's already shown Randy Orton and Jimmy Uso. Wyatt says it doesn't matter how many show up at Night of Champions because they will all fall down. The music hits and out comes Reigns and Ambrose through the crowd.

Miz presents both teams but Ambrose kicks him and tosses him out of the ring. Both teams stare each other down in the middle of the ring. Reigns talks about Wyatt taking out Orton and Uso, his cousin, his blood. Reigns says Wyatt is going to pay for Uso. Reigns says they have found a third partner for Night of Champions and they're going to whoop The Wyatt Family's ass. Reigns says they're bringing the big fight and they're going to win, believe that. Wyatt laughs in his face. Fans chant for them to fight but the lights go out and we go to the announcers.

- Still to come, Sting vs. Big Show. We gt a look at Sting vs. Ric Flair at the 1990 Great American Bash. Up next, Cena vs. Sheamus. Back to commercial.

John Cena vs. Sheamus

Back from the break and John Cena makes his way to the ring. Sheamus is out next with his Money In the Bank briefcase.

We get early dueling chants and back and forth to start the match. Sheamus drops Cena with a high elbow and again with an uppercut. Cena ends up down on the floor as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Cena is kicking out at 2. Sheamus goes to the top and drops a big knee for another 2 count. Cena gets up and they trade shots. Sheamus applies a sleeper hold and takes Cena to the mat. Cena fights back and hits his usual comeback moves. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena blocks the Attitude Adjustment and they trade shots. Cena with a tornado DDT for a close 2 count.

Cena waits for Sheamus to get up and goes for the AA but it's countered. Sheamus with a 2 count. Sheamus goes for the Cloverleaf but gets another hold applied. Cena finally makes it to the bottom rope. Sheamus argues with the referee. Sheamus with the forearms to the chest on the apron. Cena blocks White Noise and applies the STF. Sheamus finally gets the bottom rope and breaks the hold. A "Cena sucks" chant starts as Cena hits forearms on the apron just like Sheamus would. Cena scoops him for an AA but it's blocked again. Sheamus with a running knee.

Sheamus readies for a Brogue Kick and fans boo. Cena nails him with a clothesline. They get up and trade shots in the middle of the ring. Cena eats an uppercut but goes for the AA. It's blocked. Sheamus slams Cena for another close 2 count. Sheamus goes to the top for a battering ram but Cena catches him for a STF but it's countered. Sheamus ends up on Cena's shoulders and gets planted face first. Cena applies the STF. Sheamus powers up with Cena on his back and hits a rolling senton. Cena scoops him right away and nails the AA for the win.

Winner: John Cena

- The announcers hype the WWE Network.

- We see Team Bella backstage getting ready as we go to commercial.

- Back from the break and WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback is in the ring. He's proud to be our IC Champion. He does a bad Elvis impression and addresses Kevin Owens. The music hits and Owens comes out to interrupt. He rips a book that Ryback previously mentioned played a big part in his career. Owens has a copy of the book. He comes in the ring and calls Ryback weak. Owens says Ryback is an absolute monster and probably the strongest guy in the locker room but he's also the weakest. Owens says it's a travesty that a guy like Ryback is IC Champion.

Ryback comes back and says he's The Big Guy, the one that wakes up hungry. He gets a "feed me more" chant going but Owens isn't impressed. Owens says if he ever gets a shot at the title, he will take it and prove to that The Big Guy is just a little boy. Ryback says he went to The Authority earlier and the match will happen at Night of Champions. They tease a fight but Owens leaves without anything happening.

- We get a look back at Starrcade 1997 with Sting vs. Hulk Hogan and they do mention Hogan. Still to come, Sting vs. Big Show. Back to commercial.

Neville vs. Stardust

Back from the break and out comes Stardust with The Ascension. Neville is out next but he stops and waits for his backup - The Lucha Dragons. They rush the ring and all six go at it. Neville mounts Stardust while Sin Cara and Kalisto send Viktor and Konnor to the floor, then leap out onto them. Neville clotheslines Stardust to the floor. Neville runs the ropes to dive out but The Ascension drags Stardust up the ramp to safety. Both teams face off as Neville's music hits.

- We get a Nikki Bella video package before going to commercial.

WWE Divas Title Match: Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella

Back from the break and out comes Charlotte with Paige and Becky Lynch. WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella is out next with Alicia Fox and Brie Bella. We get formal ring introductions from Lilian Garcia.

Charlotte fights her way in from the apron but Nikki joins her on the apron and they trade shots. Nikki drops Charlotte shoulder first into the apron. Nikki stomps Charlotte on the floor as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Nikki has Charlotte down working on the arm. Charlotte fights up and fires away with chops. Charlotte drops Nikki for a 2 count. Nikki goes back to the arm and hits forearm shots. Charlotte fights back and goes for a spear but gets dropkicked in the arm. Nikki drops Charlotte face first for another 2 count. More back and forth. They pull Twin Magic and Charlotte ends up getting the win. She goes to celebrate and Ric Flair runs out to join the party. However, the music hits and out comes Stephanie McMahon. She says she can't win by pinning someone who wasn't in the match as she pinned Brie Bella. Stephanie says she must uphold the integrity of the Divas division - Charlotte wins by DQ, Nikki retain and will pass AJ Lee's record at midnight. Stephanie announces the rematch for Night of Champions and Nikki can lose her title by pinfall, submission, count out or DQ.

Winner by DQ: Charlotte

Cesaro vs. Rusev

Back from the break and Rusev is out with Summer Rae. Cesaro is out next.

Lots of hard hitting back and forth to start. Cesaro takes control and gets a 2 count as the Cesaro Section starts chanting his name. Rusev beats Cesaro down with forearms. Cesaro bounces off the ropes and hits a big vertical suplex. Cesaro drops an elbow for another pin attempt. Rusev drops Cesaro on the top rope and hits a heel kick for a 2 count.

Rusev unloads on Cesaro and works him over. Dolph Ziggler comes down mid-match and distracts Rusev, allowing Cesaro to take over. Ziggler talks with Summer Rae at ringside, leading to Cesaro getting the win off a distraction.

Winner: Cesaro

- After the match, Ziggler immediately runs in and nails a superkick on Rusev as Summer looks on worried. Rusev is knocked to the floor as Ziggler's music hits and he high fives Cesaro. Rusev stumbles away with Summer's help as we go to replays.

- We get a video of Team Bella, Stephanie McMahon and Dolph Ziggler at St. Jude children's hospital. We see a fan who is about to turn 7 years old at ringside. She learned she was cancer free this past Friday. The announcers plug Connor's Cure and Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

- Seth Rollins is backstage talking with Big Show as we go to commercial.

- Back from the break and we see that Summer Rae left with the gift that Ziggler was trying to give her at ringside. We see Rusev and Summer walking backstage but he's upset and she's apologizing. He slams the locker room door in her face and walks in by himself. She opens the present from Ziggler and starts smiling. Rusev slams on the other side of the door and tells her to get in there.

- We get a look back at The New Day retaining earlier tonight. The announcers hype Night of Champions and announce Stardust and The Ascension vs. Neville and The Lucha Dragons for the Kickoff pre-show.

- We get a backstage segment with Big Show and The Authority. He assures them he will take care of Sting and walks off. Back to commercial.

Sting vs. Big Show

Back from the break and we see Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at ringside to watch the main event. Big Show is out first. The lights go low and we hear the crows as Sting makes his way out.

We get formal ring introductions from Lilian for this match. Show gets booed while Sting gets a big pop. They go at it to start. Sting unloads and takes Show to the corner with kicks. Sting mounts Show with right hands as the fans count along. Show grabs Sting and carries him out of the corner but Sting plants him with a DDT. Sting keeps Show down with kicks now. Sting goes for a Stinger splash and nails it. Seth Rollins runs down with both titles and starts going at it with Sting for the disqualification.

Winner by DQ: Sting

- After the bell, Show comes over and they both beat Sting down. John Cena runs down to a pop and sends Rollins out of the ring. Sting and Cena team up on Show but he bails. Rollins tries to come back in but Sting cuts him off as Stephanie and Triple H look on. Triple H says we've had enough controversy for one night - he makes a tag match that starts right now. We go to commercial.

Sting and John Cena vs. Big Show and Seth Rollins

Back from the break and Cena is going at it with Show but he gets hit with a big tackle. Show keeps control and beats Cena around now. Cena slides out and tries to lift Show but can't get him up. Show beats him back to the mat. Rollins comes in and stomps away on Cena, keeping him down. Show comes back in and they keep Cena down. Show taunts Sting. Show backs Cena in the corner with a big punch and hits him with a chop.

Cena gets up and fights back. He scoops Show but collapses and Show falls on top of him. Rollins tags back in and also has words with Sting after beating Cena around. Cena gets in a side slam but can't make a tag. Show tags in and stops Cena from tagging Sting. Show drops Cena with a body shot and yells at Sting some more. Show with more slow punishment for Cena. Show nails a splash from the second rope but Cena kicks out. Show yells at the referee and goes back to work on Cena.

Rollins comes back in and mushes Cena around. Cena fights back but gets cut off and in comes Show again. Show goes for another second rope splash but Cena moves. Sting finally gets the hot tag and unloads on Rollins. Sting with a Stinger Splash on Rollins, and another. Sting with a running bulldog. Show runs in and knocks Sting down. Cena with an Attitude Adjustment on Show. Rollins goes for a Pedigree on Cena but Sting nails a Deathdrop from behind. Sting puts Rollins in the Scorpion Deathlock for the win.

Winners: Sting and John Cena

- After the match, Rollins rolls to the floor at Triple H's feet as Sting and Cena celebrate in the ring to Sting's music. Sting and Cena taunt Triple H, Stephanie, Rollins and Show as RAW goes off the air.

Sting wrestles for the first time on Raw.  So, he will face Big Show.  

If only someone would set up some kind of network so we could watch Slamboree 1996 when The Giant and Sting met for the world title and were in their prime.

#givedivasachance #letthemgobacktoNXT

Thought the Nikki thing was really good antagonistic work. I just wish Nikki Bella was found to be a racist or something and sacked. Sick of her.

However, they had a perfect, perfect way to book themselves out of a corner if they wanted Sting to win Sunday, thanks to this match. They should definitely have played more on Ric Flair's disappointment of Stephanie taking his daughter's moment, and then you'd actually accept Flair getting revenge on the Authority by giving old nemesis Sting a hand to beat the Authority's golden boy.

I find all the Nikki Bella stuff hilarious as she, we and everyone knows it's only because she allows cena to unload over her face and the fact WWE won't want someone associated with Punk to be in the record books that has kept her as champion.

Low wrestling ability
The personality of a drain pipe
Less charisma than a follow through fart

But hey...she's '"FEARLESS!" which is an incredibly sh1t slogan for a HEEL.  The sooner she loses and they actually focus on the girls who can wrestle, the better, because the Diva matches will be constantly shat on until this time.  Fans want to see interesting wrestlers wrestling good matches, this is why Trish got cheers, why lita got cheers, why aj got cheers, why bayley and sasha get cheers.

I think this Nikki Bella hatred is silly.

People prefer CM Punk to John Cena, so see it as a smack in the face that John Cena's girlfriend is going to beat CM Punk's wife's record reign. Bella's might not be the most talented in the ring but obviously they're good heels because everyone hates them

Surprisingly i have no issue with Nicki as champ mainly cos she's actually trying to learn to wrestle and is one of the few on the main roster that can barring the NXT girls.

The issue is the way it was booked. Either have her go over Charlotte or have Paige turn and move on with Nikki vs Sasha or let Charlotte win. No one is going to care on Sunday if Charlotte wins because it's a week too late.

Marky wrote:I think this Nikki Bella hatred is silly.

People prefer CM Punk to John Cena, so see it as a smack in the face that John Cena's girlfriend is going to beat CM Punk's wife's record reign. Bella's might not be the most talented in the ring but obviously they're good heels because everyone hates them

Or maybe people boo them because they're dreadful, not because they're good heels.  I WISH YOU DIED IN THE WOMB. snore

I guess it's what you want out of a weekly show, entertaining matches or those involving the bellas.

Fernando wrote:Surprisingly i have no issue with Nicki as champ mainly cos she's actually trying to learn to wrestle and is one of the few on the main roster that can barring the NXT girls.

She can't wrestle on their level and if she's trying to learn to wrestle, do it away from the main show and being the champion just goes against those who actually can hold a match.

Fernando wrote:The issue is the way it was booked. Either have her go over Charlotte or have Paige turn and move on with Nikki vs Sasha or let Charlotte win. No one is going to care on Sunday if Charlotte wins because it's a week too late.

TBH with you, if they wanted to really have a 'divas revolution' they would have canned all those who can't wrestle and put those in the mix who can and are interesting.

Do we really need to be reminded of Tamina Snuka on a weekly basis?

"She can't wrestle on their level and if she's trying to learn to wrestle, do it away from the main show and being the champion just goes against those who actually can hold a match."

The problem was until the girls came up barring Paige she was the only one who could hold a match I suspect this was a we have 1 heel 1 face just give the heel the title moment and it's been dragged out.

Brie,Naomi,Tamina,Alicia all shocking wrestlers & Natalya has been missing in action for ages

Agreed, I would hope now that they've erased AJ's record they'll ship the title off her and give it to someone who can carry a match.

it just makes a mockery of the 'top level title' (lol) when the NXT divas title is set to be defended in the main event in a 30 minute ironwoman match and you have Nikki Bella scrabbling her way through 8 minutes on Raw.

The reports about Eva Marie being positioned for the NXT belt makes me worry too and that they just don't learn.

While im annoyed at the execution (Brie obviously wearing the same outfit and it being a complete rehash on the last title defense) Charlotte sold it excellently.

Also, am I to believe that a guy whos closer to 60 than 50 and a guy whos already wrestled that night are able to beat a fresh Big Show and WWE AND UNITED STATES CHAMPION Seth Rollins?

gcBlues wrote:She can't wrestle on their level and if she's trying to learn to wrestle, do it away from the main show and being the champion just goes against those who actually can hold a match.

This is such a non point in my opinion, since when has being a Champion in WWE been determined with whose Wrestling level you're on.

Naomi and Alicia are both better wrestlers and characters but that's besides the point.

Nikki is my least favourite person on the roster. Not because she's the worst entertainer, but because she is an arrogant, inconsistent little silly billy who has kept the title at least once down to the Face that Runs the Place intervening.

She refuses to remain consistent. I'll ignore the awful booking of her reign, but within promos she cannot let herself look bad or out anyone else over.

To me she seems to have learned everything she can be from modern Stephanie McMahon. There is no collective goal, only her needs and I detest it.

Samo wrote:Also, am I to believe that a guy whos closer to 60 than 50 and a guy whos already wrestled that night are able to beat a fresh Big Show and WWE AND UNITED STATES CHAMPION Seth Rollins?  

Yes. Clearly. In kayfabe there is obviously a lot more about Sting than Big Show.

The number one contender and the man who had Rollins beat last month should be victorious over Big Show and a coward who doesn't want to get hurt before Sunday.

Kay Fabe wrote:

gcBlues wrote:She can't wrestle on their level and if she's trying to learn to wrestle, do it away from the main show and being the champion just goes against those who actually can hold a match.

This is such a non point in my opinion, since when has being a Champion in WWE been determined with whose Wrestling level you're on.

It may not be but the difference in ability is glaringly obvious when it is in a division known for incredibly poor wrestlers so when you get a crop who are super talented, the others are put to shame.

As said, with her now breaking the record hopefully they take the belt off her and let the women who can actually wrestle, wrestle. Then maybe their matches won't be the continual pee break in the shows or a time for chanting the announcer's names.

Is it worth pointing out the despite their NXT pedigree, personally I've yet to see anything by the 4 horse women on the week to week grind of Raw that puts them a significant level about the likes of Nikki

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:Is it worth pointing out the despite their NXT pedigree, personally I've yet to see anything by the 4 horse women on the week to week grind of Raw that puts them a significant level about the likes of Nikki

Yes. This is something that was speculated on before they moved and you are right to keep track of it. A move from NXT to Raw is a big shift. In NXT you have a lot of time to plan and work those matches. Move to Raw and there's much more time with sponsors and other duties, and you've probably got Vince saying at the last minute they are running over, so that 8 minute match, wrap it up in 5 now.

I kind of get the clamour from fans that the likes of Neville and the women get their chance on Raw. But so far there are more cases of wrestlers going backwards (in terms of in-ring product) on their transition than moving forwards.

I'm quite happy watching Balor, for example, in NXT and holding the championship there. If he moves, he'll do a couple of big entrances and then fast be forgotten about as I don't think he has the mic skills, nor the size for Vince to really get behind him.

http://www.wadekeller.com/raw-analysis-last-nights-show-among-the-worst-ive-seen/

I think that goes a long way to explaining WWE's current problems, why the Bellas are worth hating and why the NXT women cannot get the big push (which is just another reason to hate twin magic)

That was a very good article, I was thinking that myself, its fine to take your dastardly heels on charity events but never ever promote it on your TV show, in no way on earth should you ever be making your main heel look sympathetic to the plight of others, regardless of what the event is, the Bella's could be the kindest, sweetest, nicest girls in the World and their presence could have given all those kids a major boost, thats fantastic, I've got no problem with that at all and I welcome any form of charity work for those less fortunate but I've never understood the logic of showing your heel off in this way, it just adds to the directionless the on screen talents have via creative.

Kay Fabe wrote:That was a very good article, I was thinking that myself, its fine to take your dastardly heels on charity events but never ever promote it on your TV show, in no way on earth should you ever be making your main heel look sympathetic to the plight of others, regardless of what the event is, the Bella's could be the kindest, sweetest, nicest girls in the World and their presence could have given all those kids a major boost, thats fantastic, I've got no problem with that at all and I welcome any form of charity work for those less fortunate but I've never understood the logic of showing your heel off in this way, it just adds to the directionless the on screen talents have via creative.

#heelsshouldntwearpink

gcBlues wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

gcBlues wrote:She can't wrestle on their level and if she's trying to learn to wrestle, do it away from the main show and being the champion just goes against those who actually can hold a match.

3

This is such a non point in my opinion, since when has being a Champion in WWE been determined with whose Wrestling level you're on.

It may not be but the difference in ability is glaringly obvious when it is in a division known for incredibly poor wrestlers so when you get a crop who are super talented, the others are put to shame.

As said, with her now breaking the record hopefully they take the belt off her and let the women who can actually wrestle, wrestle.  Then maybe their matches won't be the continual pee break in the shows or a time for chanting the announcer's names.

Is it glaringly obvious though? Are these girls going to be given the time on RAW that they are afforded on NXT? With the erratic way in which RAW is booked I'm not so confident that taking the title off Bella will suddenly see a upsurge in quality throughout the Diva Division, I have no doubts they'll take the belt off Nikki Bella soon but I do have doubts about this new era of Women's Wrestling that everyone assumes will just follow suit.

As I have aired before, the pink thing didn't bother me as it helped sell merch and at no point did the heels play up the pink shirts, they could have been made to wear them etc.

I thought this different, especially as they made no effort to hide their status in both parts of the show, regardless of the juxtaposition.

Kayfabe is dead. And I think the sooner we accept that as fans the more we can enjoy the product. Wrestling is the only entertainment media where you feel forced into believing that the characters are real people. I didnt enjoy No Country For Old Men any less after I learned about Javier Bardems Greenpeace work.

I dont care about The Bella's being heels onscreen and being shown on TV doing charity work at the same time, because I dont mind having to differentiate between the character and the person. Wade Keller seems to still be living in the 80s-90s where Kayfabe was a life or death thing. Its not anymore, its a different time. Twitter and Facebook and the Internet killed Kayfabe, the sooner people like Keller accept it the less negative the whole business will be.

Samo wrote:Kayfabe is dead.  And I think the sooner we accept that as fans the more we can enjoy the product.  Wrestling is the only entertainment media where you feel forced into believing that the characters are real people.  I didnt enjoy No Country For Old Men any less after I learned about Javier Bardems Greenpeace work.  

I dont care about The Bella's being heels onscreen and being shown on TV doing charity work at the same time, because I dont mind having to differentiate between the character and the person.  Wade Keller seems to still be living in the 80s-90s where Kayfabe was a life or death thing.  Its not anymore, its a different time.  Twitter and Facebook and the Internet killed Kayfabe, the sooner people like Keller accept it the less negative the whole business will be.

Finally someone took action with that self righteous know it all

That's fine to an extent. But in the middle of No Country for Old Men you don't see a video of Bardem's Greenpeace work.

You can make effort to ignore outside media. You can follow those who stick to a loose kayfabe. This is entirely different.

I've long defended the blurring of kayfabe but this smacks of contempt for the product and Keller's point about the brand being all important. I can ignore it often, but it's very frustrating.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:That's fine to an extent. But in the middle of No Country for Old Men you don't see a video of Bardem's Greenpeace work.

You can make effort to ignore outside media. You can follow those who stick to a loose kayfabe. This is entirely different.

I've long defended the blurring of kayfabe but this smacks of contempt for the product and Keller's point about the brand being all important. I can ignore it often, but it's very frustrating.

Yeah, I get what you mean. I find it easier to seperate the two, but get that it can be frustrating.

I just dont think its the biggest issue surrounding the Divas division right now.

I think without the Bella issue we might have less of an issue in the division altogether. And without this "brand image" issue we might have a better wrestling product.

I personally quite like the way WWE has, at times, positioned itself as the heel of wrestling. They have worked fans into thinking its us (and our picks like Owens, Bryan, Punk) v them (and their Cena, Orton, Bellas) and its made an interesting position. But they should be smarter than they are at managing the altruistic side.

People talk about Vince killing WWE, but Stephanie is the one I think who is doing it.

Do you think Triple H would be able to book WWE similarly to NXT when him and Steph get power, or will he be hampered into continuing the branding?

Steph's official title is "Chief Brand Officer" (as well as philanthropist - I really hate having to acknowledge it but least her ego is being fed by helping charity). The only reason she isnt sticking her oar into NXT more is because they are playing with that product to that crowd in that way.

Been catching up with this New Day gimmick. Just cant believe 3 guys i found insanely dull as single wrestlers could be that entertaining. Im not even sure what the feck that gimmick is but its works