Official Monday Night Raw & Smackdown Thread

[Greengoblin782]

Bad news for the Rose Buds — WWE brass is just about done with the Adam Rose character and his traveling party band. According to PWMania, the WWE rumors are that Rose and his buds have been absent from WWE because his character just wasn’t getting over with the audience.
Rose hasn’t been on WWE TV since a win over Damien Sandow on Raw on July 28th. His previous Raw appearance was a mixed tag match win with Summer Rae over the team of Fandango and Layla.
Rose recently reappeared in NXT, as a partner to Sami Zayn, and is currently teaming with Zayn in the NXT tag team tournament to decide the #1 contenders for the NXT tag team belts.
REACTION: The WWE has as much patience as network television when it comes to new products. Network TV will pull a new show after one week, one airing, or sometimes even before the show hits the air. WWE will allow a little longer leash but usually only if it’s a character or angle Vince (or Kevin Dunn) personally takes affection towards. A good example of this is Fandago (a Vince favorite) who continues to show up on WWE even after continuous loses and a general lack of interest from the WWE universe.
The Adam Rose gimmick was big in NXT but that doesn’t always mean it will be gold on Raw. Honestly, I never cared much for the gimmick and his Rose Bud army, but I’m not sure it was really given a fair chance. Vignettes leading up to Rose’s arrival on Raw went for months. I’d imagine that would be enough of a reason to give the character more time and more matches. I’m also always perplexed as to why the WWE doesn’t flip the script. If Rose wasn’t getting over with fans, why not get the character some heat? Have Rose and the Rose Buds interrupt interviews, cost popular wrestlers matches, or do anything just to annoy the hell out of the WWE audience?

I lost hope for Adam Rose when they made him do the Twisted Tea and Occulus promos.

[patriotsguy]

Raw was blah last night, I fell asleep...missed the Bellas and the main event...

[pwaldo]

they are running out of faces to turn heel...

Glad I'm not the only one that noticed. It seems like they have an abundance of heels and not many faces left.

[ajcorleone]

More exits

Two major players in the WWE universe might be gone after this week with one wrestler leaving to address some lingering injuries and the other isn’t renewing his contract with the company.
Ryback announced on Twitter earlier today that he was taking some time off from the company. His tweet said “Going away for a while to get some stuff fixed. Have not been myself for quite some time. Ps sorry punk… #Ryback” and linked out to a photo. Oddly, the tweet has since been deleted along with every tweet in Ryback’s timeline. Perhaps Ryback spoke too soon about his time away but to delete every tweet seems incredibly strange.
Ryback has been teaming with Curt Axel since December 2013 under the team name of Rybaxel and didn’t appear on last night’s episode of Raw.
Rob Van Dam will wrestle his last match for the WWE at the Tuesday Smackdown taping in Ontario, California.Van Dam lost to Cesaro last night on Raw in a match that determined the #1 contender for Sheamus’ United States Championship.
This is RVD’s second run with the company. Van Dam got some heat in recent months for making comments about being “no help” to the younger talent in the WWE.

[ajcorleone]

In a wide-ranging interview with Ring Rust Radio, WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam talked about his latest runs with the company, with a specific emphasis on the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view (PPV) this upcoming Sunday in Boston.
The whole thing is worth a listen (or a read, the pull quotes below are from Wrestling Observer's transcription), as RVD brings a different perspective both from his experience and his make-up as the kind of person who doesn't "go crazy at home" like many of his peers (Van Dam loves his current schedule, but doesn't think it work for a lot of wrestlers who don't know what to do with themselves when they're not on the road and performing).


One thing that jumped out was his response to Mike Chiari's question of if he takes pride in working with younger stars and helping them get over, "Yes and no. I place no focus on that. If somebody is willing to take some advice, then I have some, and that's just life in general. A lot of people don't want to hear anything."
While that initially seems like a knock on the current crop of WWE workers, Van Dam is quick to clarify that it's a good thing, for fans and him:

These guys, and everybody at WWE right now, is so good that the standard of the pro wrestler compared to maybe 10 years ago: night and day difference. I came back last year and I was so impressed. Guys that come up now through NXT, a lot of them, maybe most of them, seem to be growing up in the business and with only four or five years' experience. They're already 10-12 year veterans. I'm more happy, with the caliber rising, that I can still get in there with my style and ability and still be relevant with the new age of wrestlers coming up just like it was back then.
So, are they getting a rub from wrestling with me? Probably so, but these guys, I don't feel like they need me.

It says a lot about both the quality of WWE Developmental and RVD's laid back confidence that he can take this approach. "These guys have a great future and are heading to the top with or without wrestling Rob Van Dam," he says, adding with a touch of humor, "they just might have a few more bruises after wrestling me."
Check out the whole interview for his thoughts on battle royals vs. ladder matches, who his dream opponent would be, if he'd like to work with Paul Heyman again, and more.

[ajcorleone]

Bautista done possibly??


There are many people within WWE who are under the impression that as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film continues to enjoy more and more success, that the chances that Batista will ever return as a full-time performer in WWE decreases.
When “The Animal” left a few months ago, the belief among many was that he would be back as soon as his media obligations were done for the film, however those same people have been changing their tune as of late.
Apparently, the topic of Batista was a big one backstage at this past weekend’s WWE live events. The feeling is that he will receive a lot more offers from Hollywood after the success of “Guardians,” which much like The Rock, means he’s likely not to work as much in WWE for fear of getting injured and ruining his chances at working in more movies.

[Greengoblin782]

Bautista done possibly??


There are many people within WWE who are under the impression that as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film continues to enjoy more and more success, that the chances that Batista will ever return as a full-time performer in WWE decreases.
When “The Animal” left a few months ago, the belief among many was that he would be back as soon as his media obligations were done for the film, however those same people have been changing their tune as of late.
Apparently, the topic of Batista was a big one backstage at this past weekend’s WWE live events. The feeling is that he will receive a lot more offers from Hollywood after the success of “Guardians,” which much like The Rock, means he’s likely not to work as much in WWE for fear of getting injured and ruining his chances at working in more movies.

If he can have a successful movie career we probably won't see him back full time ever again. His last run with the company just blew up in his and Triple H's face.

[ajcorleone]

BREAKING NEWS just read this hope he is ok

According to reports, WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts is currently unconscious in a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Roberts flew to Vegas on Wednesday for an event, however reports claim that he passed out on the airplane and has remained unconscious ever since.
An ambulance took Roberts from the plane to the nearby hospital, which is where the WWE Hall Of Famer currently resides.
Additionally, Roberts is reportedly suffering from double pneumonia and doctors have claimed that his lungs are filled with fluid and that there is a mass on his brain.

[Greengoblin782]

BREAKING NEWS just read this hope he is ok

According to reports, WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts is currently unconscious in a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Roberts flew to Vegas on Wednesday for an event, however reports claim that he passed out on the airplane and has remained unconscious ever since.
An ambulance took Roberts from the plane to the nearby hospital, which is where the WWE Hall Of Famer currently resides.
Additionally, Roberts is reportedly suffering from double pneumonia and doctors have claimed that his lungs are filled with fluid and that there is a mass on his brain.

Damn, that is terrible news to hear.

[Greengoblin782]

Update about Jake The Snake Roberts.

Just spoke to @JakeSnakeDDT 's girlfriend, Jake is now conscious but still fading in and out. Please keep the prayers coming.