Hanley! wrote:I'm somewhat struggling to understand why people are so optimistic about NXT. Vince was supposed to cede control of Raw and Smackdown over to Heyman and Bischoff and that hasn't happened yet.
McMahon wasn't at Raw or SmackDown this week. From what I've heard the Bischoff transition has been slow but Heyman's fingerprints have been all over Raw the last 2 or so months.
I watched some of the show on Monday and IMO it was really good. Not perfect, but you can tell they are trying. Everything on the show has a purpose and they are doing a better job with continuity. The booking of The Fiend has been SUPERB, the United States Championship division has been great since Styles came over, Corbin has become a really hated heel in a good way (he's perfect in the mid-card), the Women's Division has been fantastic with Bayley's heel turn and Banks/Lynch. There's some ehh stuff, depending on how you feel you might not like the Rusev/Kanellis/etc. shenanigans but at least they are getting a story.
Plus guys like Cedric Alexander, Ricochet, Ziggler/Roode, Nikki Cross, and The OC have gotten really strong, consistent pushes over that same time span.
3 hour is still a chore, but the show has gotten much better and features fresher names. Heyman's definitely at the very least getting a lot of say on the current product.
SmackDown from what I've seen has been a bit more ehh, but that is mainly because the top title feud has been Kofi/Orton. Bryan/Reigns/Rowan has been RIDICULOUS but fun at the same time when you accept how over-the-top it is, an element WWE feuds have been sorely lacking over the last 2-3 years. And it is a story they have stuck with over a long period of time.