Yeah. Honestly I'm still unsure if it was a work or not. WWE playing with kayfave in some decent ways these days.
The only bits that made me think work was when they showed AJ with the trainer and Aldis saying he was going to check in him.
Oh, I totally get you. I don't even think you're wrong. I also don't know who would win the theortical Mania match. But in terms of face Flair, I think she has a few things in her favor.
She hasn't been around for a long time. But when she was, it felt like she had reached legends status, where the fans are into her. But I also think that might just have to do with the type of WWE crowds we have now. They're usually happy so go with what HHH is asking from them
You're right that the WWE live crowds seem to be fairly compliant with what is booked, I think because mostly the booking isn't designed to piss them off like it was for the last decade under Vince. The last time I saw Charlotte was when she wrestled Iyo on Smackdown, and the crowd were pretty pro Iyo even though she was the heel.
That being said I can't argue that the fact she's been out nearly a year will play into their favour for a while, in the same way as Orton is arguably more over than ever after an 18 month lay-off, it could be the same for Charlotte, just to a lesser degree. I think if they go this route it might be better if Tiffy goes in as challenger, I feel it would make the outcome less certain.
When it comes to Liv, the only good matches I feel like she's had are with Becky and Nia. Becky, who's good at adapting to get the most from her opponents. And Nia, who is the best women's hoss in the business. I know the crowd is into her and I like her. I just find her wrestling so not good and it's made Rhea looks clumsy.
If we get some women's midcard titles, that opens up a lot of possibilities for Mania.
As to Tiff cashing in. The only way I see that is if they want Tiff on RAW because of Netflix, but I'm really doubtful of that right now. RAW is loaded compared to SD. And SD is rumored to be going to 3 hours soon. Another reason I expect call ups that see a lot of NXT call ups to SD in the New Year.
I actually liked the SummerSlam match, I thought Rhea's timing and athleticism made Liv's offense look the best it's looked, but I'd agree in the Raw brawls it's made Rhea look clumsy as you say, partly because Liv can't brawl, and it's not a size thing, she just doesn't throw credible strikes so Rhea is taking bumps off whiffers at times.
They really need those midcard titles Imo, there's plenty of talent but I don't think there's a lot of strong promos in the division, so the belts would basically serve as a goal to put stakes on some matches and offer a platform for progress. It's one of the reasons I've enjoyed Chelsea and Michin, a solid angle that was simply a personal beef built up over a few weeks with a pay-off match, but there's too few of these with the women.
Agreed, I mentioned it as they've brought up a few times that Tiffy can cash in on any champion, but ultimately the Smackdown women's roster is already understocked, they need more women, can't afford to lose any. With 3 hours those NXT call-ups are definitely needed, I'm curious which women join Roxy, I also wonder if WWE sign Jordynne Grace she'll go straight to the main roster.
Deadline is the PLE for December.
I'm not 100% sure on how it all plays out. The only thing I'm sure of is Giulia is going to be the champ and most likely beat Roxanne for it.
I think Havoc could see some sort of triple threat, which again keeps Giulia away from the belt. I'm super curious what the plan is for Vaquer. She's great and how she plays into this is a real mystery to me.
Thanks
Overall I'd agree with that, they've invested a lot in Giulia and she's odds on to be the one to dethrone Roxanne, I am curious how long they'll keep her in NXT, you can see she's still adapting but within a couple of months I think she'll be in her stride and seems destined for bigger things.
Yeah, I'd heard of Giulia and seen some of her work a while back, even when I wasn't watching US wrestling, but I hadn't heard of Vaquer until the match with Mercedes where she totally flipped the crowd to her side, I was really impressed by her and checked out a couple more matches, I was glad when Triple H swooped in and signed her, and like you say she's a wildcard in this title scene as they've been teasing her vs Roxanne for a bit now as well.
I agree with you on what would be best. But I also think they're going to want big matches for their big attractions at Mania. I'd love to see Bianca vs. Rhea at Mania instead. If they do that, maybe Jade vs. Nia in a short grudge match at Mania? Let Jade put on a Hogan/Brock vs. Giant performance.
That would be a great compromise, as they've been planting seeds for Jade vs Nia all year, so a no nonsense, short powerhouse match between them would be a shrewd singles showcase for Jade at Mania, especially if she can get Nia up for Jaded, that would give her a WrestleMania moment, and obviously Bianca vs Rhea would tear the house down.