My RAW versus SmackDown Live reaction is on Upgruv.com and here’s a sample:
WWE RAW in Minneapolis — where 15,000 people seem to outsmart a billionaire. That’s the way it seemed from inside the arena, anyway.
The big attraction on Monday night was Brock Lesnar, who is billed from Minneapolis with collegiate and professional athletic history there. He was to answer the challenge of Goldberg.
It was a welcome-home reaction with cheers and chants of Lesnar’s patented “Suplex City.” It was these growing chants of support, despite Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman trying to manipulate that audience, that would ultimately result in an abrupt and early end to the segment on television.
WWE wants Lesnar as the big, bad heel against the returning Goldberg, playing the good guy wrestling one more match for his fans and, most important, his son. WWE wanted a chorus of “Goldberg” chants to annoy and interrupt Heyman and Lesnar. But WWE did not get what it desired. Not only did the crowd support Lesnar, but there were audible chants of “Goldberg sucks.”
Begs this question for Vince McMahon: What did you think was going to happen?
To be fair, when WWE announced earlier in the year they would be doing RAW in Minneapolis, the company didn’t know Lesnar would be booked the heel in a feud against Goldberg. The bookers likely didn’t even know Goldberg would be involved in building to a match. Also, Goldberg returned on TV to make a challenge to Lesnar last week in Denver, which is a much better scenario than had he returned in Minneapolis. His return in Denver came of great. Had he done it in Lesnar’s hometown, obviously it would have killed the entire vibe.
The best solution would have been to wait for Lesnar to appear and respond either on a pay-per-view this Sunday in Boston or on the episode of RAW following “Hell In A Cell.”
And here’s the other thing: Lesnar really isn’t the one responding to Goldberg. The response is coming from Heyman, Lesnar’s “advocate,” who is authorized to speak for Lesnar.
We get it. Heyman can verbally communicate Lesnar’s emotions far better than Lesnar can on live television. But we’re tired of seeing Lesnar appear on RAW and not do anything more than stand there. Forget Heyman verbally communicating; give us Lesnar communicating physically.
A scenario that could have worked might have seen Curtis Axel, also from Minneapolis, coming out to a huge pop. That actually happened, by the way.
CLICK HERE for word-for-word what needed to be said involving Curtis Axel, city of Minneapolis and what Lesnar’s actions should have been. Plus, Jericho’s list bigger than the title and more reaction to the top segments of RAW and SmackDown LIVE.
