LIVE Raw thoughts - April 8, 2019

11:00 - It wasn't a bad show by any stretch of the imagination, but it was certainly an oddly booked one.  Why even have Kofi appear, since it wasn't expected or needed?  And if he was to appear, why tease the unification if it wasn't going to happen?  Why replace it with a substantially less important match?  Just seemed odd.

Also, random that there wasn't appearance or mention of Reigns.

10:50 - Hmmmmm, this was a curious decision.  If you're going to tease that sort of match and not give a result, you need a bigger story than "the Bar interfered!"

10:37 - I just feel like, considering this is something that hasn't been promoted ahead of time, that we won't see an actual unification tonight.  It would also steal the thunder of the shakeup, I would think.  So what happens at the end?  Brock returns?  Bryan does something?  Reigns turns heel?  Drew jumps both guys?  Or do we see a straight up winner?  And if so, who wins?

10:32 - Another fun segment.  Loved Elias' "dead man" line to telegraph the Undertaker's appearance.  And Elias' facial reaction was great as well.

10:16 - Really fun promo from Zayn, and especially appropriate after the obnoxiousness of the fans during the tag team match.  Great delivery and great points.  A lot of fun.

9:58 - I like the new shaved head look.

9:54 - No new Intercontinental title either.  How odd that there were rumors of three new titles being in New Jersey/New York this week.

9:52 - I almost feel like Dean got a better send off than Kurt.  Also, nice to see Sami back.

9:39 - Any help on what that laughing dinosaur was?

9:35 - I'm super sad that Dean is leaving WWE.  The company failed to capitalize on his popularity and charisma numerous times over the past several years.  This guy should have been a muti-time World Champion and certainly had what it takes to be a top face in the company.  It's just too bad that WWE worked against him so often.

9:30 - Update:  it appears that the lift wasn't working.  Also, this match seems to be running off the rails.  The fans are (obnoxiously) trying to do a wave, and there seems to be a bit of sloppiness.

9:14 - So did the production crew completely miss Black's entrance?

9:03 - I love Becky but her trying to get her own chant started was cringe-worthy.

9:02 - It's a weird pet peeve of mine when somebody has two titles and they wear one and hold the other.  It always makes the one they hold seem less important.  I say either wear both on your shoulders (like Jericho), connect them an wear it as a necklace (like Cena) or wear both around your waist (like RVD and Angle).

8:51 - I know they (seemingly) don't like each other, but I was hoping for Alexa vs. Sasha.  I think those two work really well off each other.  If nothing else, it's just interesting seeing a different style from Sasha as she's usually the smaller person.

Also, a side effect of the Superstar Shakeup is that it seemingly halts a lot of the surprise post-WrestleMania debuts.  Maybe Lars proves otherwise.

8:43 - Speaking of Angle, it's a bit odd how understated his career ending has been.  Compare him to Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, who got huge celebrations.  Nobody even came out to save Angle when he was attacked.

8:37 - Michael Cole's stance is a bit strange.  Corbin is a jerk for decisively and cleanly beating Angle?  In a match Angle asked for?  Did he say the same thing about Shawn Michaels after he beat Flair?

8:32 - Happy to see that they kept the titles on Ryder and Hawkins.  Give these a guys a chance to do something with the titles.

I'm a little surprised they're giving us a unification match without any build, so I'm guessing there's no finish (maybe Brock comes in and attacks both guys?)

8:21 - Looks like we didn't get the rumored new Raw tag team title either.  Hmmmm.

8:14 - Oh man, while I had a feeling this could happen when Kofi came out, this is ultimately unexpected.  Considering the overall failure of the Women's tag team titles at actually appearing on both shows, I don't know why they're seemingly merging all of the titles.

And it's also like, Raw FINALLY has a champion now.  While split that up?

8:09 - We can see where this is going, but it kinda irks me that WWE deprived Smackdown of this Kofi unveiling moment.

7:51 - Since the Raw after Mania is usually a pretty big deal, I'll do a LIVE stream of consciousness post for this Raw (unless I decide to watch from my bed.....I'll last as long as I can).  Will we see any last minute title changes?  Any new championship designs?  Any debuts?  Let's wait and see!

Check back in about 10 minutes for my thoughts.

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LIVE WrestleMania 35 thoughts - April 7, 2019

12:26 - The right person won -- for sure -- but the ending was kinda fluky for my liking.  Crazily, I could hear the fireworks from my house.

It was a long show -- really long -- clocking in at close to 7.5 hours including the kickoff show, but overall the matches were good, they kept the show moving, and they had the right people win.  This was one of the better WrestleManias over the past few years.

12:00 - Kinda lame entrance for Becky -- the character who exploded -- compared to the helicopter for Charlotte and famous musician for Ronda.

I see Becky winning this.....for the most part, WWE has done a good job of giving the wins to the right people.  It also looks like we may see a new championship for the winner (there's a covered display outside).

11:54 - Yes, it was long and it's a late night, but I loved that Charlotte pre-entrance -- a nice shout out to her father's famous entrance.

11:46 - I really, really wish the announcers would stop with the "it's over, no doubt about it" nonsense.  I actually would have believed that Balor was done after that spear, otherwise.

Also, I'm disappointed we didn't see more Bliss.

11:38 - Oh, I have Balor winning this.

11:36 - Count me as one of the people who still really loves the Demon character.  There are a ton of fans who sap all the fun out of the whole routine with their "well if he always wins as the Demon, why isn't he always the Demon?" questions.  It's ultimately a TV show where they need to protect a character.

But I will reiterate that WWE has really botched the presentation and filming of a lot of these entrances.  That includes Balor.

11:31 - I am surprised by that result and the fact that Baron Corbin of all people got to fight Angle in his last match......and win.  Clean.  But oh well.

11:20 - I love that Kurt wore the Team Angle hoodie.  Although I wish he went with the red version, which I always preferred.

Also love the half red, white and blue, half black singlet.

11:17 - I have to imagine the show goes past midnight, no?  So since Cena already appeared, does this mean that this is legitimately Kurt Angle's last match?  Yes, it makes sense in terms of storyline....but it would be a disappointing way for it to end, no?  He deserves something bigger, I think.

Anyway, I'm guessing Angle wins and we do see SOME sort of surprise afterwards.

11:00 - Equally confusing is this talk of "Batista needs to beat Triple H."  When he's beaten Triple H.  Every.  Single.  Time.  Including at WrestleMania.  For the title.

10:58 - The announcers simultaneously arguing that Batista quit, but that he also didn't leave under his own terms, is a little confusing and disconnected.

10:48 - That entrance was self indulgent even by Triple H and WrestleMania standards.

10:41 - I'm guessing those SUV's play into the match somehow?  Anyway, I'm guessing Triple H wins this, only because I don't see them overshadowing Angle's last match (or Angle overshadowing his last match).  My expectations are not high for this one.

10:34 - I loved everything about that.

I was worried we'd see Cena again, which would've been too reminiscent of last year, but when the Thuganomics theme played, my jaw hit the floor.  That was an awesome moment and a ton of fun.....exactly how Cena should be used now.  I loved it.

10:24 - I have negative music talent, so if Elias was legitimately playing those instruments, I'm very impressed.

So SOMEBODY interrupts, right?  Who?  Undertaker?

10:07 - I almost completely forgot about this match.  Also odd that Reigns is not even using the "Ribbon" logo anymore.  I have Reigns winning this one, of course.

9:58 - Well, that was quick.  Regardless, Joe needed a big win and Rey can sacrifice it.

We still have a lot of big matches left, no?  Angle's Farewell Match, Triple H/Batista, Lashley/Demon and the Women's Title Match immediately come to mind.  This show definitely isn't ending until midnight.

9:56 - Rey Mysterio in Mysterio themed attire is multiple levels of meta an awesome.  I have Joe retaining here.

9:49 - The right result and a legitimately awesome and heartwarming moment.  Awesome job and well deserved, Kofi Kingston.  And bravo to Daniel Bryan, Xavier Woods and Big E for all playing their roles to perfection.  Really awesome moment and my favorite part of the show so far.

9:17 - I really liked hte video preview for this match, going over Kofi's 11 year career.  Surprised by how tame the entrances are for Kofi and Bryan though, considering it is a big match.  Like, no elaborate graphics or props.  Very surprised by that.

It looks like they have the old WWE Championship ring side, which could indicate that Kofi wins it?

9:10 - I really, really want to see Kofi win tonight, but my gut says Bryan takes it.  We JUST saw a title change, and it fees like a big moment won't be happening this early in the night.

Pretty cool that Kofi is on the Empire State Building though.  Let's go, Kofi!

9:08 - Wow, I didn't see this one coming.  This would've been the last team I saw winning.  Interesting.

8:55 - Fun Maleficent themed entrance for the Iiconics.

I have Sasha and Bayley retaining here.

8:52 - That was a very poor performance from the inflatable buddies.

8:48 - I actually had no issue with that ending or with Shane winning, because he was getting his ass kicked the entire match and he only won by luck and happenstance.  My only issue with the match was that they had him kick out of the Skull Crushing Finale.  That felt unnecessary.  Otherwise I found it fine and inoffensive.

8:34 - Is it me, or has the lighting/camera work for some of these entrances been off?  Like, I could barely see Miz making his entrance?  I also enjoy Shane wearing a black jersey instead of his usual white.....presumably because he's evil now.

Also, Graves mentioning health insurance.....

8:22 - I'm sure all the beef has been squashed, but I still feel weird with DX and Hart Foundation going in the same year.

I've got Miz going over here, although we are seeing A LOT of early big babyface victories.  Makes me worried for the rest of the night.

8:06 - That was a really fun bit with the Cesaro Swing and Sheamus.

8:03 - I love that Rusv and Nakamura have matching designs on their attire now.  Also, what a difference a year makes!  Look at where Rusev and especially Nakamura were a year ago, and where they are now.  Very sad.

7:59 - It's kinda crazy that over the course of the past 2 or so weeks, Black and Ricochet have had a shot at the Raw, NXT and Smackdown tag team titles.  They kinda don't look too awesome if they keep losing.

I like Black's vest, though.

7:55 - The other rumor we heard was that the Smackdown tag team titles were supposed to be modified to have customized sideplates.  That does not appear to be the case with the titles tonight, so I'm guessing the Raw an Smackdown after WrestleMania we see the new titles debuted.

I have the Usos winning this, with potentially Black/Ricochet taking it.  I can stick with that.

Also, interesting that Cesaro and Sheamus have ditched their usually awesome entrance gear.  And odd that their trunks no longer completely match (with Cesaro's trunks having a white trim, and Sheamus' having a black one).

7:51 - I was wrong, but that was a super fun match.  Everybody expected the Phenomenal Forearm into RKO sequence, so they teased it all night and showed AJ avoiding it.  Happy to see AJ here, even though my predictions are super off.

7:32 - I originally had Orton winning this one, and I'm going to stick with that pick.  Between Nese, Ryder/Hawkins, Braun and Seth, we've seen a lot of popular wins.  I'm guessing Orton puts an end to that.  Additionally, if Kofi wins (perhaps a long shot), he's a potential next competitor.

Also, it does appear that the set this year is substantially simplified.  Not a criticism, but an observation.  Although the giant screen does look cool.

7:27 - I'm okay with this result.  Rollins is a great person to hold the Universal title.  I do fear that this means that Kofi (probably) or Becky now won't take home the title.  OR doing the match early was a way to break up those title changes.

7:24 - I wouldn't be surprised to see an absolute dominant Lesnar go for an F-5, only for Rollins to turn that into a small package and win the title.  But if Lesnar just wins this thing clean.....wow, what a terrible way to treat Rollins.

7:19 - Fun entrance for Rollins.  I don't necessarily think that the fact that this match is so early means there will be hijinx -- between this, the WWE championship match, Angle's match, Batista's match, the Women's title match, there are a ton of big matches -- but I do wonder if we're going to see something hokey that ultimately gets the title off Brock and onto someone else that isn't Rollins (like Reigns).

I really just want this Brock with the title thing to end.

7:16 - Wow, starting the show with the Universal Championship match.  That's a refreshing change (since that title always gets pushed ahead of the WWE Championship).  I originally had Brock winning this, but now I'm not so sure.

7:09 - Fun opening video that go actually fairly evenly focused on all of the major (and some not-so-major) matches.

7:03 - I'm wondering if they've deliberately left the shots of the arena vague, because the set looks significantly less over-the-top than usual.  In years past, they've unveiled the set the night before on social media....I don't recall them doing that this year.  Maybe they took a step back this year?  Or they're relying more on the Snapchat Geofilters that I hate.

6:50 - Finally got one right!

6:34 - It's pretty crazy that we're still a half hour away from an over four hour show, and we're already starting our fourth match.  At least they've keeping the show moving with some minimal talking.

I'm going with Braun here.

6:28 - I was wrong, but I like this result.  And I'm glad that they were smart enough to have Hawkins be the one who was responsible for the win.  I could totally see WWE "waste" the streak by having it end with Ryder getting the pin.  Well done!  And new title belt tomorrow?

6:15 - I like that Hawkins swapped the usual Mets colors for the Jets colors, but I'm disappointed that Zack and Curt didn't wear matching colors.  Weak sauc there.

I did catch a #DZvsZR sticker on Ryder's jacket, though.

6:11 - Interestingly -- but perhaps not surprisingly -- there's no new Raw tag team titles.  I'm guessing they get debuted on Raw, then?  I have Revival retaining here.

6:08 - Considering Triple H's and the Kliq's (prior?) reputations for being so petty, it is interesting that the same year one of their professional rivals goes into the Hall of Fame for the second time (Bret Hart), his main antagonist ALSO goes in for a second year (Shawn Michaels) AND they headline the show.  And then the same year another professional rival has a final match (Kurt Angle), his top antagonist is also in a career ending match (Triple H) against a big Hollywood star.

5:55 - Carmella is a lame enough winner -- didn't we give her enough of a push last year? -- but even worse, didn't they JUST do the "oh, you forgot about this competitor" ending for the Women's Battle Royal last year with Bayley/Naomi?

5:43 - I understand why they can't do 20-30 entrances, but it's so awkward when they have everybody come out at once and then do 2-3 personal entrances.

Also, Ember Moon is back?  If Asuka doesn't take it, I hope Ember does.  I'm guessing they didn't know she would be back, otherwise I wish they had done Asuka vs. Ember for the Smackdown Women's title.

5:38 - I'm not off to a great start with my predictions thus far.

Also, this Impractical Jokers thing is painful.

5:30 - I just noticed that Murphy's gear is Joker-inspired, thus making me a fan immediately.  Hoping for some good news gear debuted today.

5:23 - I'm going with Murphy here, mostly because I think WWE wants to make sure their first title change of the show gets a big reaction....and unfortunately I don't think enough people know Tony Nese for him to get that reaction.

Also, there are some rumors of some new Raw tag titles -- and perhaps other titles -- being debuted tonight.  I'm all down for that!  I would love if we saw all new Raw titles altogether (thus getting rid of the "here are the red titles for Raw and the blue versions of those same titles for Smackdown" thing that they sorta but not completely do).

5:18 - I know it's a popular theory that New Day ends up turning on Kofi -- and WWE has sorta it help in a way, with them earning him his shot at the title -- but I really, really hope they resist this temptation.  These guys are absolutely better and more over together than they are apart.  Don't force a breakup that few -- if anyone -- wants.

5:06 - So, being that I actually don't live too far from MetLife Stadium, I put a lot of thought into going to this year's WrestleMania (I went last time they were in New Jersey and had a great time), but ultimately my friend's wife was due this weekend (baby born yesterday.....congrats!!) so we decided not to go.

My gut reactions to tonight's card, as it relates to results:

Women's Championship Match:  Becky Lynch
Universal Championship Match:  Brock Lesnar
WWE Championship Match:  Kofi Kingston (I'm not sold here, just holding out hope)
Intercontinental Championship Match:  Balor
United States Championship Match:  Samoa Joe
Raw Tag Team Championship Match:  Ehhhhh, tough.  I guess Revival
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match:  Usos, but I could see Black/Ricochet take it
Triple H/Batista:  Probably Triple H.  If not for the Angle "Farewell Match," I could see them swerve us with a Batista win.
Angle/Corbin:  Angle in quick order.  Then Cena comes out and they have a more legitimate match, with Angle also winning.  Via tapoout.....
Reigns/McIntyre:  Reigns
AJ/Orton:  Orton
Shane vs. Miz:  Miz
Women's Tag Team Championship Match:  Boss 'n Hug Connection
Cruiserweight Championship Match:  Buddy Murphy
Andre the Giant Battle Royal:  I don't know, tough....  Braun or Ali
Women's Battle Royal:  Asuka

4:51 - I know it's been a while since I've update the old blog, but I figured it's WrestleMania so I need to do a LIVE thoughts stream as long as I can hold out (seven or however many hours is a long show).  So keep on checking the blog throughout the evening and night so my thoughts on the show.  I'll provide some predictions during the pre-show.

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