RAW's Not Sure These Are the Sort of Funds You Can Deposit....

A Merry Monday to You, Enthusiasts!

Well, it may not be so merry for some of you.  Personally, I wasn’t upset with the surprise of Brock Lesnar winning Money in the Bank.  It was somewhat expected, actually.  Naturally, I was like most of you and expected it to be in the form of Bray Wyatt but with news of his baby being born the day before and JoJo (WWE Announcer) possibly having trouble with the birth, I didn’t think he’d be present.  More pressing matters to attend to.  Now, this makes sense for what they’re planning for the Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia so, I’m expecting ratings to drop a bit until after that event. 

No one is really praising this “surprise” win for Lesnar so the WWE have put themselves in a somewhat precarious position.  It’s clear that they’re angling for the Saudi Arabian event right now but with the negative stateside sentiments against that Kingdom at present, this may be a tough time to watch.  Expect the WWE to go back to old tactics that never really worked and for nothing to really make sense. It’s going to be completely arbitrary because I’m sure they’re going to walk The UnderTaker and Goldberg out there for no reason so they can start the build.  Treat this as the experimental, exhibition that it is because that’s all we’re really going to get until after June 7^th. 

So, as for tonight’s RAW the wincing will begin with an appearance from Brock Lesnar as the fallout show takes shape.  I’m sure Seth Rollins will have words in regards to this and will probably swear to right this wrong in Saudi Arabia.  I was pretty sure they were going to put the belt on Lesnar but with this heat and the letdown with Game of Thrones they may side with fans and allow Rollins to retain.  There's talk circulating about Mick Foley making an appearance to announce a new title which could come into play as well.  Rumor has it that it may be a sort of “Legends Title” that will reward the veterans for their continued work but I don’t know…this is what I was talking about when I said this may be a “tough time”.  This sort of thing may have been valid 15 years ago but the crowd has simply caught wise and it doesn’t seem like people want to read it as a joke.  There’s real disapproval and dislike in the air and there may be a considerable drop-off in viewership and interest for the next 3 weeks.  For me, I don’t take this stuff that seriously.  You see me making fun and laughing at it each week but there are fans who are more serious than I.  Hopefully, the WWE is using this period as a time to sort of “cut the wheat from the chaff”.  If this is a sort of push to turn things around, perhaps they’re moving forward with these questionable moves to reset the fanbase?

We must admit that a ton of the WWE fans are stuck in the past.  Many of them “…remember when…” and may unrealistically hope for this sort of resurgence.  I don’t know if it will ever be like the good ole days again.  Times have changed too much for that to really happen.  What’s happening, whether anyone likes it or not, is a messy evolution of the product.  It’s trying to maintain a sense of the gist of the genre, meaning there’s a fly by the seat of their pants sort of sensibility but it is more scripted/orchestrated.  Also, “Management” continues to antagonize the crowd but the hope is it's in a way that actually achieves some goal apart from low ratings and lost interest.  I can understand a weeding out process.  Some of the fans will never be pleased and/or aren’t the most upstanding so, go ahead and cut them but if this is just blind “progress”, of course the question becomes to what end.  I’m not walking away just yet but I don’t want to have to make that decision.  Let’s hope this is just them having fun and we’re just taking it all too seriously.  I get that people prefer quality over quantity but I can see people saying that we’re not getting much of that either, just tons of crap.  I still have fun with it.  If you’re not, ask why.  Can you look at the old stuff and honestly say that it holds up nowadays?  I hate to say it, but a lot of the Attitude Era stuff is dated as shit now, not to mention how the 80s stuff has always been.  And I loved the Attitude Era.  Would it fly?  This is where we are, Enthusiasts.  The WWE is relearning how to fly.  You decide if you’re going to help.  Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes/Favorites, don’t hold your breath but don’t hold back for the wrong reasons.  We may have to encourage them back to greatness.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)