Raw House Show - Notes/Reactions from The Great White North
Feb 12, 2018 20:23:00 GMT
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Post by RT on Feb 12, 2018 20:23:00 GMT
I went to a Raw house show on Friday with my daughter here in Saskatoon, and I've decided to write up a review because I'm bored at work. Also I thought some of you might be interested, but if not, tough. I like to hear myself talk.
A few things:
-We went to a Smackdown house show about a year ago and it was my daughter's first experience watching wrestling live. She loved it. She became a fan of AJ Styles that night because the crowd was red hot for him in the main event and she liked watching him in the ring. She also became a fan of The Ascension because "their music is awesome."
-This is the third time in a year that the WWE has visited Saskatoon. There was a Raw house show back in September but we didn't go because I was working in Ontario at the time. I'm hoping this is a trend because the shows are fun and the seats are cheap (we sat 3rd row lower bowl for $20 a piece).
-The only announced wrestlers were Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Cesaro, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy Elias and Braun Strowman. They had The Miz on there but removed him for some reason (probably because the main event changed) and later announced Bayley, but I hid it from my daughter because Bayley is her absolute favourite and I wanted her to be surprised.
Alright, the show...
30 minutes before the show the ring announcer guy welcomed everyone and hyped up the crowd. I don't know who he was, but he announced that Bayley was in the building and ruined the surprise, but whatever. My daughter lit up and screamed so that was fine.
Right after that two 20-something dudes sat down in front of us and one noticed my daughter's Bayley t-shirt. He said "cool shirt" then took off his jacket to reveal that he was wearing the same t-shirt. My daughter loved that and I could tell she felt super cool, so double points to that guy (he gets even more points during the main event but I'll touch on that when I get to it).
Kurt Angle pre-taped thingy
Everyone chanted "YOU SUCK" and I didn't really hear what he said, but it was pre-taped so whatever.
Finn Balor & Karl Anderson w/Luke Gallows vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel
First surprise of the night was when the show finally kicked off and Finn Balor's music hit. The crowd went nuts. Nobody expected him to be there and then all 3 members of Balor Club walked onto the stage to a huge pop. They fought 2/3 of The Miztourage and won. During the match Dallas and Axel tried to leave, Balor got on the mic and said "the hard-working people of BALOR CLUB SASKATOON deserve better!" and got everyone fired up even more. Dallas got clocked, Axel walked into a running knee from Anders and a Coup de Grace from Balor. Over. Lots of "FINN" chants and "TOO SWEETS." One section started a Bullet Club chant but it didn't catch on.
Hideo Itami vs. TJP
2nd surprise of the night and Itami got a pretty good reaction. TJP walked out to complete silence. The same section that tried to start a Bullet Club chant during the opener started a CM Punk chant during this match and got booed. They were quiet the rest of the night, lol.
Itami won after some move I've never seen him do before. It was like a one-armed Codebreaker, I don't know how to describe it. Does he do that move now instead of the GTS? I haven't seen any of his matches since he came back. Everyone seemed disappointed he didn't do the GTS because everyone was waiting for it. The match was good though, lots of flips and stiff kicks.
Sasha Banks & Mickie James vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Mickie James got a big pop and I have to say, she is a fucking amazing wrestler. I've never given her very much credit but god damn. She looked amazing in the ring and hasn't lost a step. I'd even argue she's better than she's ever been. She carried the entire match and Sasha Banks barely did anything, but got the hot tag and tapped out Mandy Rose with the Banks Statement. Banks got all the love but Mickie did all the work, like a true pro. A million points to her.
Rhyno & Heath Slater vs. The Revival
Rhyno & Heath Slater probably got the biggest pop of the night when I went to the Smackdown show a year ago, and their return to Saskatoon was no different. Saskatoon fucking LOVES Rhyno and Heath Slater. They delayed The Revival's entrance because everyone was chanting "HE'S GOT KIDS" and "EC-DUB!" over and over.
Which was upsetting because when The Revival's music hit I was the only person that cared, haha. They got no reaction and I was the only one shouting "YEAH!" I was disappointed.
The Revival are a fucking amazing tag team. I know that already gets said, but watching them live was a real treat. They're perfect in every aspect. I love them even more now.
Heath Slater got the win with a roll up. My daughter booed. I've never been so proud.
Saskatoon walks with Elias, then Elias gets beat up by Braun Strowman
I knew Elias was special, but I had no idea. They did a quick ad break then while it was dark in the arena, we hear "Ladies and gentlemen...Elias."
Then the loudest mixed reaction I've ever heard.
Elias strummed his guitar as the spotlight hit and the arena was fucking mental. I've never heard anything like it. Totally split, and Elias just sat there and soaked it all in. After a minute, he got up like he was going to leave, then the boos and cheers totally flipped and he came back. He had us in the palm of his hand and was loving every second.
He asked who wanted to walk with Elias, then asked us if we knew what WWE stood for, and visibly smiled when everyone answered him. Then he sang a song about how much he hates Saskatoon and how cold it is and how all the kids here are ugly. My daughter laughed her ass off. By the time the song was over the crowd had turned and Elias had done his job, then...
BRAUUUUUUNNNNN
Pop of the night. Braun is a FUCKING HUGE HUMAN BEING. OH MY GOD. Anyway he and Elias squared off and Elias tried to hold his own but then he got Powerslammed a bunch of times and might have died.
Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley - Raw Women's Championship
Bayley's music hit and my daughter has never been happier. I almost shed a tear. The guy in front of us turned around and high-fived her. I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.
The kids went fucking mental for Bayley and two of the tube men made the trip to Saskatoon. It was awesome.
Unfortunately her entrance was the highlight of the match. The whole thing was Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss ganging up on her, then Nia Jax threw Alexa Bliss out of the ring when she tried to pin Bayley, then Bayley choked out Nia Jax and hit the Bayley to Belly on Alexa Bliss, then Nia Jax squashed Bayley and Alexa Bliss got the pin.
From the time Alexa Bliss walked into the arena to the time she left it seemed like she didn't want to be there. I know it's her character, but it seemed legit this time. I don't blame her, it's cold and lots of dudes were staring at her ass so whatever.
Bray Wyatt vs Matt Hardy
I got to experience Bray Wyatt's entrance live so I'm happy. He got more cheers than Matt Hardy did, and the Delete chants were weak. Not many people cared about him or his antics, but he won with a Twist of Fate anyway and he got an ok pop for that. Bray Wyatt almost seemed pissed off that he lost. He didn't sell the Twist of Fate at all and immediately rolled out of the ring and walked up the ramp. I thought that was interesting.
Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. The Bar - Raw Tag Team Championship
Main event was supposed to be Reigns vs Miz for the IC title, and I think Rollins and Jason Jordan were supposed to fight The Bar, but they pulled Miz and Jason Jordan is nursing a serious injury, so this is what we got.
The Bar got a good reception when they came out, Seth Rollins got a big pop, then the boos for Roman Reigns.
The guy in the Bayley shirt in front of us noticed that the kid beside him had a Roman Reigns t-shirt on, and the 3 drunk smarks in front of them kept standing up and booing Roman, so he picked the kid up and stood him on his seat which had a clear view. I like that guy.
Anyway, the kids looooooove Roman Reigns, and I gotta say, now that I've seen him wrestle live...I get it. I could still take him or leave him, but I'll say this: the man is a good performer, he's intense in the ring, he's got presence like you wouldn't believe...Roman Reigns is good in my books. And once everyone got over booing his entrance and were watching Seth Rollins do his thing, the cheers for Roman came. He got the hot tag, got a big "OOOOOAHHHHH" before his Spear, and everyone went home happy.
The Bar retained after Cesaro hit Rollins with a chair but Reigns and Rollins got the last laugh and stood tall post match.
...
Anyway there. Feel free to discuss or ask questions if you want. Thank you for letting me waste half an hour at work.
A few things:
-We went to a Smackdown house show about a year ago and it was my daughter's first experience watching wrestling live. She loved it. She became a fan of AJ Styles that night because the crowd was red hot for him in the main event and she liked watching him in the ring. She also became a fan of The Ascension because "their music is awesome."
-This is the third time in a year that the WWE has visited Saskatoon. There was a Raw house show back in September but we didn't go because I was working in Ontario at the time. I'm hoping this is a trend because the shows are fun and the seats are cheap (we sat 3rd row lower bowl for $20 a piece).
-The only announced wrestlers were Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Cesaro, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy Elias and Braun Strowman. They had The Miz on there but removed him for some reason (probably because the main event changed) and later announced Bayley, but I hid it from my daughter because Bayley is her absolute favourite and I wanted her to be surprised.
Alright, the show...
30 minutes before the show the ring announcer guy welcomed everyone and hyped up the crowd. I don't know who he was, but he announced that Bayley was in the building and ruined the surprise, but whatever. My daughter lit up and screamed so that was fine.
Right after that two 20-something dudes sat down in front of us and one noticed my daughter's Bayley t-shirt. He said "cool shirt" then took off his jacket to reveal that he was wearing the same t-shirt. My daughter loved that and I could tell she felt super cool, so double points to that guy (he gets even more points during the main event but I'll touch on that when I get to it).
Kurt Angle pre-taped thingy
Everyone chanted "YOU SUCK" and I didn't really hear what he said, but it was pre-taped so whatever.
Finn Balor & Karl Anderson w/Luke Gallows vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel
First surprise of the night was when the show finally kicked off and Finn Balor's music hit. The crowd went nuts. Nobody expected him to be there and then all 3 members of Balor Club walked onto the stage to a huge pop. They fought 2/3 of The Miztourage and won. During the match Dallas and Axel tried to leave, Balor got on the mic and said "the hard-working people of BALOR CLUB SASKATOON deserve better!" and got everyone fired up even more. Dallas got clocked, Axel walked into a running knee from Anders and a Coup de Grace from Balor. Over. Lots of "FINN" chants and "TOO SWEETS." One section started a Bullet Club chant but it didn't catch on.
Hideo Itami vs. TJP
2nd surprise of the night and Itami got a pretty good reaction. TJP walked out to complete silence. The same section that tried to start a Bullet Club chant during the opener started a CM Punk chant during this match and got booed. They were quiet the rest of the night, lol.
Itami won after some move I've never seen him do before. It was like a one-armed Codebreaker, I don't know how to describe it. Does he do that move now instead of the GTS? I haven't seen any of his matches since he came back. Everyone seemed disappointed he didn't do the GTS because everyone was waiting for it. The match was good though, lots of flips and stiff kicks.
Sasha Banks & Mickie James vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Mickie James got a big pop and I have to say, she is a fucking amazing wrestler. I've never given her very much credit but god damn. She looked amazing in the ring and hasn't lost a step. I'd even argue she's better than she's ever been. She carried the entire match and Sasha Banks barely did anything, but got the hot tag and tapped out Mandy Rose with the Banks Statement. Banks got all the love but Mickie did all the work, like a true pro. A million points to her.
Rhyno & Heath Slater vs. The Revival
Rhyno & Heath Slater probably got the biggest pop of the night when I went to the Smackdown show a year ago, and their return to Saskatoon was no different. Saskatoon fucking LOVES Rhyno and Heath Slater. They delayed The Revival's entrance because everyone was chanting "HE'S GOT KIDS" and "EC-DUB!" over and over.
Which was upsetting because when The Revival's music hit I was the only person that cared, haha. They got no reaction and I was the only one shouting "YEAH!" I was disappointed.
The Revival are a fucking amazing tag team. I know that already gets said, but watching them live was a real treat. They're perfect in every aspect. I love them even more now.
Heath Slater got the win with a roll up. My daughter booed. I've never been so proud.
Saskatoon walks with Elias, then Elias gets beat up by Braun Strowman
I knew Elias was special, but I had no idea. They did a quick ad break then while it was dark in the arena, we hear "Ladies and gentlemen...Elias."
Then the loudest mixed reaction I've ever heard.
Elias strummed his guitar as the spotlight hit and the arena was fucking mental. I've never heard anything like it. Totally split, and Elias just sat there and soaked it all in. After a minute, he got up like he was going to leave, then the boos and cheers totally flipped and he came back. He had us in the palm of his hand and was loving every second.
He asked who wanted to walk with Elias, then asked us if we knew what WWE stood for, and visibly smiled when everyone answered him. Then he sang a song about how much he hates Saskatoon and how cold it is and how all the kids here are ugly. My daughter laughed her ass off. By the time the song was over the crowd had turned and Elias had done his job, then...
BRAUUUUUUNNNNN
Pop of the night. Braun is a FUCKING HUGE HUMAN BEING. OH MY GOD. Anyway he and Elias squared off and Elias tried to hold his own but then he got Powerslammed a bunch of times and might have died.
Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley - Raw Women's Championship
Bayley's music hit and my daughter has never been happier. I almost shed a tear. The guy in front of us turned around and high-fived her. I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.
The kids went fucking mental for Bayley and two of the tube men made the trip to Saskatoon. It was awesome.
Unfortunately her entrance was the highlight of the match. The whole thing was Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss ganging up on her, then Nia Jax threw Alexa Bliss out of the ring when she tried to pin Bayley, then Bayley choked out Nia Jax and hit the Bayley to Belly on Alexa Bliss, then Nia Jax squashed Bayley and Alexa Bliss got the pin.
From the time Alexa Bliss walked into the arena to the time she left it seemed like she didn't want to be there. I know it's her character, but it seemed legit this time. I don't blame her, it's cold and lots of dudes were staring at her ass so whatever.
Bray Wyatt vs Matt Hardy
I got to experience Bray Wyatt's entrance live so I'm happy. He got more cheers than Matt Hardy did, and the Delete chants were weak. Not many people cared about him or his antics, but he won with a Twist of Fate anyway and he got an ok pop for that. Bray Wyatt almost seemed pissed off that he lost. He didn't sell the Twist of Fate at all and immediately rolled out of the ring and walked up the ramp. I thought that was interesting.
Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. The Bar - Raw Tag Team Championship
Main event was supposed to be Reigns vs Miz for the IC title, and I think Rollins and Jason Jordan were supposed to fight The Bar, but they pulled Miz and Jason Jordan is nursing a serious injury, so this is what we got.
The Bar got a good reception when they came out, Seth Rollins got a big pop, then the boos for Roman Reigns.
The guy in the Bayley shirt in front of us noticed that the kid beside him had a Roman Reigns t-shirt on, and the 3 drunk smarks in front of them kept standing up and booing Roman, so he picked the kid up and stood him on his seat which had a clear view. I like that guy.
Anyway, the kids looooooove Roman Reigns, and I gotta say, now that I've seen him wrestle live...I get it. I could still take him or leave him, but I'll say this: the man is a good performer, he's intense in the ring, he's got presence like you wouldn't believe...Roman Reigns is good in my books. And once everyone got over booing his entrance and were watching Seth Rollins do his thing, the cheers for Roman came. He got the hot tag, got a big "OOOOOAHHHHH" before his Spear, and everyone went home happy.
The Bar retained after Cesaro hit Rollins with a chair but Reigns and Rollins got the last laugh and stood tall post match.
...
Anyway there. Feel free to discuss or ask questions if you want. Thank you for letting me waste half an hour at work.
