When WWE made its product available on HuluPlus, they decided they would abbreviate our current 3-hour Raw, opting to post a 90-minute version, instead.
By the time WWE made this agreement with Hulu, I was fatigued of the product and loathing the 3-hour Raws. I made a decision, instead of making myself spend time watching something I wasn't really enjoying, I would only watch the HuluPlus edition of Raw to see if that helped the problem.
Part of the experiment, I decided, was that I wasn't going to allow myself to watch anything outside of those ninety minutes, no matter how much the other Cagesiders talked about additional content. That part proved to be very difficult...
At least at first.
It used to be, I would watch everything, from Raw to NXT. I just can't do that anymore. It's too much. Moreover, with a family, it's become damn near impossible to do it. So, I used this experiment like a weight-loss diet. I have cut content out, just as if I were cutting calories when trying to slim down.
The result?
This has led to a greater enjoyment of the content. For the record, this is what I watch now:
- Raw on HuluPlus
- SmackDown!
- Main Event (if the show was reportedly good)
Sadly, NXT did not make the cut. The 90-minute Raw on HuluPlus has actually proved to be a far Superior product to the 3-hour show aired on USA. All the important beats are there and it's mostly quality entertainment.
Plus, it moves at a faster pace, because all the filler is cut out. From what I understand, some great stuff can be cut out at times, but it's worth it in order to have a more concise and entertaining experience overall.
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Last night after work, I settled into my couch and turned on my 90-minute Raw. I have to say this was a really solid outing. The show opened with some really fun mic work from Ziggler, Sheamus, and Big Show. I am loving heel Big Show. I feel like this is some of the best work of his career. Sheamus still isn't great on the stick, but he didn't bring it down too far, and the fall from Ziggler was great.
The following match between Sheamus and Ziggler was great, just a lot of great selling and work from both guys. I've seen them go at it so many times now, that its starting to annoy me how Sheamus always goes over, so it was nice to see it not end that way, for a change.
The 4-team tag match was just a lot of fun. I am a fan of all the participants, and I was glad to see The Usos get some real TV time. The Rhodes Scholars are firing on all cylinders and Cody's mustache is so amazingly bad, that it's actually awesome. I loved them on MizTV, even though The Miz is terrible. I love that the tag team division is actually a main attraction now.
However, the AJ Lee stuff is terrible. The scenes with Cena in the locker room with the Jobbers made me laugh, though. Especially, when Cena was trying to block AJs view of the other guys who where in towels. (They were actually more covered up, than when they in ring gear, with just their tights and boots on.) So silly.
Random thoughts: Why are they trying to make Cena and AJ act like they are in high school? It's just really bad. Is it just me, or is Vince McMahon looking a little worse for wear these days? Could you imagine, if we had just one heel have the level of heat that Vicki gets?
Kingston and Cesaro were fun on commentary. I wish they would just unify those titles, I feel as if they would mean more if they were unified. The match itself was okay, but I don't enjoy R-Truth's work; I did when he was heel, but not so much now.
Punk was in great form with Heyman last night, highly enjoyable, and I'm pretty sure they were playing it for humor. If that's the case, its good, because it was really funny.
Finally, let's talk about Cena vs. Big Show. The match was good but the highlight, at least for me, was Ziggler on commentary. I both enjoyed and was annoyed by the end of the show.
The shaky camera during the Shield segment was effective, but if they're going to do it again, they need to pull it back, as it made me slightly sick by the end. Outside of that, it was great. Ryback is looking good, and so is the shield.
One last thing before I wrap this up: Am I the only one who wants to see Dean Ambrose in movies as a cool villain? I can just imagine him in Die Hard, or something like that. I hope they keep having him do his promos to a self-held camera, because it really works for him in a way that's special.
I'll give this show a solid "B", some solid wrestling and promo work were to be had, but they were marred by fast-forward inducing scenes with AJ and Cena.
So, that's my take on the 90-minute Raw available on HuluPlus. What do you think, Cagesiders? Do you agree, or have you not tried the HuluPlus version, yet? Sound off in the comments section and let's talk about it.
Editor's Note: This FanPost has been edited and promoted to the front page as well as several sections on Cageside Seats for your enjoyment, Cagesiders. Write up one of your own and maybe we can do the same with yours. Enjoy this one, it's a good read!
