WWE Fastlane: an above-average Raw

Bernie Barnes @thedailyjobber

From the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio WWE rolled out the pyro and big-name talent for its latest pay-per-view event: Fastlane.

The build-up to February’s live event was short and felt rushed, and the card yielded a mixture of satisfying conclusions, intriguing twists, and perplexing segments. The general booking and execution of the event resulted in something which felt more like an episode of WWE television than something fans would pay their local cable providers to watch.

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WWE Diva division in best shape ever!

Bernie Barnes @thedailyjobber

What a difference a year makes.

After #GiveDivasAChance, which trended in February of 2015, high-lighted how the WWE Universe’s overwhelmingly negative attitude toward the women’s division, the Big Fed has turned an important corner.

Heading into the 2016 Fastlane pay-per-view, WWE’s female roster is the largest and most talented in nearly a decade. Increased air time devoted to the Divas, as well as multiple story-lines and programs within the division are promising signs for the future of women’s wrestling on the big stage.

NXT proves simplicity works

As this week in wrestling draws to a close, WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and NXT Takeover: London are both in the bag.

Put side by side, one can see exactly how the shows differ. Putting aside variables such as attendance, production value and star power, a large difference between shows was in the construction of storylines.

Full break-down of WWE TLC 2015

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view comes to the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts this Sunday, December 13th.

The Fed’s final event of the year lands in a time of year that often suffers from rushed booking, absences and the holiday season. This year is no different, as many feuds going into the show feel under/un-developed, scattered and cold.

With television ratings suffering their worst numbers in nearly twenty years, The December event has consistently been scheduled for mid-month, in order to take it easy on performers around Christmas. After all, the much-anticipated Road To WrestleMania is right around the corner at the Royal Rumble.

Charlotte turning heel good move for division & character

Ric Flair earned himself the title “the dirtiest player in the game” for his heelish antics, and it appears his daughter, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte, is aspiring to follow in his footsteps.

This past Monday on Raw, Becky Lynch challenged best friend Charlotte to a good-natured contest. Charlotte hesitated at the prospect at first, but then conceded. They locked up while two-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair looked on at ringside.

Worst… Raw… ever?

The Monday Night Raw which aired 24 hours after Survivor Series, which is already being hailed as the worst pay-per-view offering of the year, received its lowest ratings since WWF was on the losing end of the Monday Night Wars.

Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer reports that with 3.19 million viewers during its first hour, 2.99 million in its second, and 2.71 million in its final hour, November 24th was the first time Raw has averaged less than 3 million viewers since 1997.

Why was the show’s audience showing so dismal?

“Classic” and “New-school” booking mix to make N.O.C. exciting

This year, Night Of Champions carried on its tradition of making every title in WWE the focal point of the evening. In an age where sometimes belts, particularly any that are not the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt, can become over-looked, under-played and ignored as central to feuds and story-lines, this was return to classic wrestling booking.

Looking more closely at some of the title bouts from September 20th’s Pay-Per-View event, one can see a re-emergence of classic themes being employed in the booking.

WWE Monday Night Raw – August 10th, 2015

The Pacific Northwest, birth place of grunge music, Starbucks coffee and craft beer, plays host to the Fed’s big red. It’s Raw, live from Seattle!

With SummerSlam only two weeks away, the focus turns from the Undertaker/Lesnar main event toward the sometimes neglected WWE Heavyweight Championship picture. With John Cena still out with a facial injury, the contenders begin to knock on the door of champion Seth Rollins. Also, WWE revisits your favourite feuds from earlier this year: Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper; Rusev and Mark Henry; Neville and King Barrett; New Day and Los Matadores. All this, Divas tag action, Miz TV, and special invited guest star Stephen Amell from TV’s “Arrow” finally confronts Stardust.

WWE NXT – April 22nd, 2015

From Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, WWE brings its developmental brand to television, offering a glorious glimpse into the future of the fed.

The main event tonight is the rematch between “Rage” Alex Riley and the current NXT Champion Kevin Owens. In addition, the Divas compete in a triple threat to determine the number one contender for Sasha Banks’ title.

The Jobber Run-Down: “This Week in Pro Wrestling” part two, NXT 04/03/2015

Full Sail University is still coasting off the buzz around February’s TakeOver: Rival as it goes to television Wednesday night.

The show opens with a vignette in which Kevin Owens tells us to forget about the past (by which he means Sami Zayn) and look to the future (“and that’s Finn Balor”). Cut to Finn as he says that he will face Kevin Owens “any place, any time,” – I suppose, as long as there’s also time to put on lots of make-up and do a five-minute ramp entrance first. Anyway, the drama involving Alex Riley is re-capped and I get stuck wondering whether or not I should care about Alex Riley.

GM William Regal puts the tough choice to Riley, who’s looking a bit like Eric Bischoff: be a wrestler or be a commentator, but you can’t do both. Riley makes a small noise with his mouth and leaves the room.