LIVE Elimination Chamber thoughts - May 31, 2015

11:02 - I'm not much of a sports fan, but isn't there a thing in football where if the opposing team did something that would have resulted in a penalty, but the end result was advantageous to the offended team, the play stands?  I mean, why essentially benefit the team that did something wrong?  Shouldn't that apply here?  Like, Rollins did something against the rules in hopes of retaining his title....but it didn't work.  Why should Ambrose pay the price for that?

10:57 - Overall a great and, more important, a star making show.

10:54 - You sneaky bastards with your Dusty Finish.  Wow, that was dirty.  I really thought we had an Ambrose title win there!  But hey, if you're not going to give him the title, that was one way to make him look great.

10:29 - I miss those hooded sleeveless jackets Ambrose used to wear.

10:23 - I love how this New Day heel turn has turned into a renewed (and way, way, way, WAY overdue) push for Kofi Kingston.

10:19 - I love how Daniel Bryan still calls him "The Ryback."  And I'm perfectly happy with Ryback as the Intercontinental Champion.  They push him strong and the fans respond to him.  Good enough for me.

10:06 - Ah, yes.  Very clever.

10:03 - I don't get what Sheamus is so upset about.  Isn't the pod the best place to be?  It's not like he gets extra points for eliminating more people and the match can't end without him participating.  Why not let everybody beat each other up and then slide in to pick up the pieces?

9:51 - I'm guessing Ziggler goes the distance but fails.  If Rusev were still in this match, I would predict Lana turns on him to help Rusev win.

9:45 - Speaking of Sheamus, I keep forgetting to mention this but I really do like his new entrance, with everything going dark and then Sheamus standing there with a bright light surrounding him.  He truly does look like he's glowing, since he's so pale.

9:44 - I don't even remember if Mark Henry is supposed to be a heel or face right now.  He's not winning.  Smart money is on Sheamus, I'm thinking.

9:42 - I'm kinda shocked that the white strap has lasted this long.  I sorta figured they would've switched it to black by now.  It sorta sticks out like a sore thumb.

9:23 - While a Cena win was far from a foregone conclusion, something about that result was still rather shocking.  Wow, bravo to WWE for putting Owens over and bravo to John Cena for probably being the most selfless top star any wrestling company has ever seen.  Great match and bravo to all involved.

9:03 - Although I am sure they won't explore it, I like the reverse dynamic of having JBL sing the praises of Cena while Lawler since the praises of Owens, based on their prior experiences.

9:02 - Interesting possibilities for this match.  Not sure what to expect.

8:52 - That was the worst possible result.  Also, the Bellas smiling happily comes across as so incredibly insincere and fake.  They are terrible babyfaces.

8:45 - I'm actually going to go on a limb here and say Naomi wins the title.  By the way, Smart TV isn't getting a great feed so i am going into the bedroom.  That means less frequent posts.

8:36 - I forget who it was -- I want to say Chris Jericho, maybe? -- but somebody once talked about the issue with the Elimination Chamber match:  Namely that the visual effect doesn't reach the pain level.  That is to say, that belly to belly suplex on the steel that Big E hit on Darren Young probably hurt far worse than it looked.  Like, was that move worth it?  When the announcers have to continue to insist that it hurts, because it doesn't "look" like it hurts, then there's an issue with the match.

8:26 - Having them get SO dominated by Prime Time Players -- who have hardly been built up as huge threats -- sorta negates what they had done to build up Ascension earlier in the match.

8:24 - I do like the idea of building up the Ascension (I think they got a pretty raw deal when they debuted), but I still think they're missing the boat by not doing more with Lucha Dragons.

8:23 - Told you.

8:19 - "No eliminations yet.....we're waiting for Los Matadores to enter."

8:11 - Near gear for the New Day as well.  By the way, I was going to rant about the Lucha Dragons.  These guys were so incredibly over when they debuted on Raw after WrestleMania and has strong showings for a couple weeks.  Then they disappeared out of no where and are finally back, two months or so later.  And they haven't had the same response since.  The fact that they were taken off TV when they were as hot as they were is ridiculous.

8:09 - I am having some issues with the WWE Network App on my Smart TV tonight.  Might have to check to see how the feed is coming on the Roku in my bedroom.

8:05 - A Tag Team Elimination Chamber match is going to be interesting and fun.  I'm guessing New Day retains here.  Who would've ever guessed we'd see Los Matadores in an Elimination Chamber match?!?!?  By the way, nice new gear for them tonight as well.

7:57 - It happened so gradually that I didn't even notice that Roman Reigns had become a raging alcoholic.  By the way, strong chance he's turning heel tonight.  Which is actually too bad, because his alliance with Ambrose has made him the most compelling he's been since the Shield broke up.

7:52 - I think it would be funnier if Axel wore the old school Hogan attire.  Basic yellow trunks and red knee pads.  This look is way too similar to the actual, current Hogan and isn't consistent with the Mega Powers era either.

7:48 - I often tease WWE for their odd camera work, but I got a kick out of them zooming out so you could see what Miz was wearing when he told Bryan he dresses ridiculously.

7:41 - Even I think this outfit is pretty weird.

7:27 - For the life of me, I don't know why they don't do more with Stardust.  And if they're not going to do more with Stardust, then I don't know why they don't have him go back to Cody Rhodes.  I also miss how Stardust used to switch up his attire.  He's been on this black/orange/silver kick lately.

7:05 - Booker T says the replacement will be a former World Champion.  Ugh, it's going to be the Big Show, isn't it????  Sigh.  Other possibilities:  Jack Swagger, Kane, Mark Henry, The Miz, and Randy Orton.  Some outside chances, but unlikely in my view:  Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Christian, and Booker T himself!

6:53 - We're just a few minutes away from the Elimination Chamber pre-show.  I have to say, from top to bottom, I love this card!  I love the fact that the Chamber matches were saved for non-main event matches (and thus, guys who typically don't get to showcase their talents in such high profile matches).  And then you have fun, new matches like Kevin Owens vs. John Cena and a main event spot for Dean Ambrose.  Really great stuff.  This is EXACTLY the sort of thing WWE needs to do to keep their subscription count up.

I noted this on Twitter but it's worth mentioning it here too.  Since they're not restricted to Pay-Per-View demands, why not have the show end after midnight to guarantee that all those free subscribers have to let their subscription roll over to a paid month in order to see how the show ends?  Yeah, it's a dick move....but look at how many new subscribers they'd get!

Also, sounds like Rusev is out.  I have to think he was the favorite to win the Intercontinental title.  Sounds like Bray Wyatt is the likely replacement.  I'm guessing he wins the title, then.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - May 11, 2015

10:52 - Alright folks, I'm going to watch the rest of this from bed.  Overall my thoughts are that it was a good show, but not QUITE as exciting as last week.  But still a step in the right direction.  I'll tweet any last minute thoughts!

10:29 - Adding a new PPV exclusive to the PPV?  Very savvy.  Could pay off, too.

10:27 - I mean at a certain point, they're going to have the New Day bring up the fact that Michael Cole can't figure out which member is which, right?

10:10 - The question is, what do you do with the title now?  I would do the same thing that they're doing with the United States title -- give it to an established main eventer who isn't going to be in the main event picture at the moment.  Personally, I thought it should've been Roman Reigns, but he seems destined to be in the title picture for now.  It should definitely be somebody that is considered a "big deal" and somebody that the WWE is very hesitant to ever have lose.  Honestly, Orton isn't a terrible choice.

What I wouldn't do is give it to Ziggler or Barrett.  The former because they have a track record of not getting behind is title reigns completely.  The latter because they treat him like a loser whenever he's got a title.  And I wouldn't give it to Ambrose, either (not established enough for a long enough period of time), but he's not a terrible choice.  And I wouldn't give it to a newcomer like Neville, either.  Allow the man to rebuild the title, not hope for the title to build up the man.

10:00 - I'm guessing Daniel Bryan officially retires.  Which is, sadly, probably for the best.

9:59 - Did I just see that Big O guy from the Zack Ryder show on the Tough Enough tryout videos?

9:54 - I still hate that instead of capitalizing on Sandow's new found overness and allowing his character to evolve, they've returned him to the same exact role he was playing prior to getting over (just now as a face)....but I did get a kick out of that Mega Powers handshake recreation.

9:37 - I didn't catch that Reigns/Kane segment because I had to fix a clog in my tub.  I literally chose to fix a clog in my tub over watching Reigns vs. Kane.

9:27 - I'm actually surprised that Reigns is getting such a warm reaction. I figured the fans might view him with resentment since he got the super push in favor of Ambrose.

9:20 - I continue to love this US Title Open Challenge.  We are pretty much at 100% for awesome matches.  And wow, they did an awesome job of protecting and making Neville here.  Awesome stuff, as far as I'm concerned.

8:58 - It is so odd that WWE's top babyface and the face of the company is shocked that fans predominantly rooting for him.

8:49 - They might as well call this match "course correction," between reuniting Rowan and Harper and giving Fandango his original theme back.

8:33 - Sheamus is doing what I had been asking him to do since he debuted on the main roster -- essentially, wear his typical street clothes.  It's such a tiny thing, but street clothes gives these Superstars an identify....so much more so than simply wearing a WWE t-shirt over their wrestling attire.

8:26 - In a four man competition, why exactly should we be impressed that 25% of people think Ambrose will win the title?

8:17 - I'm kinda disappointed that they're putting Ambrose in the opening match.  The crowd is dying to see this guy....why not make them wait a little?  Also, side note, but I kinda miss those sleeveless hoodies he used to wear down to the ring.

8:09 - I know we have some hometown bias here, but it's great seeing Ambrose so over with the crowd.

7:59 - I will mention one thing before the show begins:  I absolutely HATE that Damien Sandow is exactly where he was pre-Mizdow, after the whole Mizdow thing got him so over.  This should have ended with him finding his own identity.  Hell, his promo a week or two ago explicitly made fun of the impersonation portion of his gimmick.  And now he's back to dressing up like other Superstars with a goofy nickname.  No progress made whatsoever.

Also, let's not act like Triple H has been gone for six months.  It's been a couple of weeks....does it really warrant a grand cold opening and "he's baaaaaack"?

7:32 - I'm torn here.  After last week's show, I'm actually semi-looking forward to discussing Raw.  But at the same time, the show tends to be better when I don't do LIVE thoughts.  What to do, what to do?

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