Tonight’s the big night when WWE Raw celebrates an unprecedented 1000 episodes, and With Leather is throwing a party. In addition to tonight’s normal open discussion thread, we’re bringing in a few special guests to talk WWE, pop culture, and most importantly: WEDDINGS.
Raw 1000 begins at 8 PM EST on the USA Network, but be here at 7:30 to chat with DENNIS HASKINS, aka Mr. Belding from ‘Saved By The Bell’. He’s one of my favorite television characters ever and he’s shown up in everything great on TV, including ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’, ‘Mad Men’ and … well, WWE Raw. Dennis is stopping by to do a little Q-and-A and chat about the first half hour of Raw, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him.
Joining us around 9 PM EST is rap superstar ACTION BRONSON. You may have seen him getting love on The Smoking Section and the UPROXX main page, and if you haven’t, go learn about him right now. Bronson’s chatting with us as long as he’d like, and as soon as he leaves a comment he becomes the coolest person to ever click a link on With Leather.
Finally, joining us throughout the night (whenever he has time) will be WWE Superstar, NXT Protagonist and general Friend Of The Site DERRICK BATEMAN. D-Bateas has been nice enough to chat with me on the With Spandex podcast and wear our shirt on television, so show him a lot of love now so he’ll still like us when he’s Super Famous. Capital letters.
If that all wasn’t enough, we’re tossing a special commenting badge your way. To commemorate Mr. Belding knowing who the hell I am, we’re giving you a chance to unlock the BIG BOPPER commenting badge. All you have to do is participate in tonight’s discussion by clicking the “like” button to share the thread on Facebook or use that “tweet” button to tell everyone you know about the chat on Twitter. You’ll want to rep Bayside High with this badge forever, because their girls are the cutest and their guys are the hippest, too. Oooh.
As always, the top 10 comments from tonight’s open discussion thread will be featured in tomorrow’s Best And Worst Of WWE Raw 1000 column. To nominate a comment for top 10 status, reply to it with a +1.
Thanks in advance to everyone for hanging out tonight. Here’s to another 1000 episodes!
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Anyone else starting to go nuts waiting for this weeks Best and Worst?
Yup, starting to compulsively refresh the page every couple minutes. I NEED MY FIX
I should’ve known that CM Punk would turn heel. He shook hands with Cena right before the match…
okay. this is why it’s not a heel turn. Cena being such a dick and not even shaking hands right after all the battles they’ve had. I freaking hate John Cena.
I mean Daniel Bryan also started his conversion with handshakes to faces like Kofi Kingston. He was the one who offered it but in the end he was the one who’s changed sides.
It’s sorta WWE sign of the devil :)
I’m still not sure why CM Punk clobbering the Rock is a heel turn. The Rock, who never met an ad hominem argument he didn’t like, has been playing a heel since he came back (albeit a heel who is still the Rock). I’ll believe CM Punk has turned heel when he starts throwing out “you people” and “each and every one of you” in his promos, but laying the Rock out seems more like a public service to me.
When dealing with heel/face turns, you have to look at it from two points of view:
1) WWE Writers
2) 12 year old kids
The writers, in their little warped version of reality, have to have “Faces” and “Heels.” Punk, Rock, and Cena, were all babyfaces last night. Punk coming in and throttling Rock after Rock took out Big Show = Heel turn, even if many people (myself included) will still cheer for him. In reality, it makes him a tweener.
As for the children, well they see it in black and white. Clothesline Rocky? Heel.
Just re-watched the wedding aftermath. There’s something hilariously amazing about seeing Daniel Bryan furiously yell “THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE GREATEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!” to an attentive Rock and CM Punk.
Sorry I had to leave early yesterday. What I have to say about Punk’s Heel Turn
Ron Swanson: “Good. Things were getting a little too chummy around here.”
Slumdog_prince is someone I don’t actively root against.
I woke up this morning chanting CM Punk.
Brothers of Destruction and Doink the clown all in one night? Talk about one good show, last night’s episode reminded me just how cool wrestling can be SOMETIMES…
Oh and Daniel being called an Ompa Loompa by Charlie Sheen on LIVE tv, PRICELESS!
Wow. 6k+. All of the +Rhodes possible to this incredible community.
Full disclosure: I had an audition last night and missed everything except Punk/Cena, so I’m just getting caught up watching videos on WWE.com. I know I’m extremely late to the party, but:
SHE WORE HER CHUCKS UNDER HER WEDDING DRESS.
I didn’t think it was possible, but my crush just got a little stronger.
I was pretty happy to see those shoes. I was hoping she *wouldn’t* do something like have skulls on her wedding dress, but that she would do something subtle to give it her personality. Mission accomplished.
WWE Films should remake Lethal Weapon with Cena as Riggs and Slick as Murtaugh.
Until Big Showpocalypse ran down to the ring I honestly thought I was watching the Man of Steel trailer.
The only way this evening could have been better is if Mr. Belding had a reunion with his estranged brother, Rod.
Nah, man, after the way Rod skipped out on the students of Bayside, he just needs to stay away.
We got the better Belding.
Summer of Punk II – Punk Harder?
Part Deux?
Electric Punkaloo?
The Re-Punkening?
Shame he wasn’t the one marrying AJ, because then it’d be the Summer of the Bride of Punk.
Sorry, it’s early.
The Shape of Punk to Come
Punk Drunk Love
Jurassic Punk: The Lost Funkadectyl
And because it’s topical and heel turn:
The Dark Punk Rises
I just realised that I did not get my Belding Badge, I shared on Facebook and everything. Is it because I’m Canadian, it’s because I’m Canadian right.
Same thing happened to me. I call shenanigans!
Requesting shop of Punk on a TDKR poster, complete with Rise and rain and zeus bolt
Sorry if this was mentioned, west coaster here. But Rocky looked just like the fish at the end of Faith No More’s “Epic” video after that GTS. I like morally conflicted Punk. Good stuff, Maynard.
ONLY A COUPLE MORE POSTS TO GO. COME ON TEAM.
I like turtles. See i did my part
For posterity’s sake. God bless us, everyone.
PUSH THROUGH
Oh and the only resolution to Lesnar-Triple H that would be satisfying is if Lesnar breaks whatever thin line of kayfabe he follows and legitimately destroys Triple H.
An added bonus would be if Lesnar doesn’t try in any way to string words together again.
Okay, with that Arrested Developmental has me on board. Take one for the team, HHH!
The best moment of the night pre-punk giving the rock what he deserves, was the split second Damien Sandow was actually spareing us from DX’s Jackassory.
The ONLY good part about the ending is that this means that Cena is out of the WWE championship picture. Thank jeebus. That being said, while I do like Punk, he’s not on the same level as The Rock in-ring or on the microphone. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Punk’s legendary “shoot” promo, but The Rock simply out-classes him.
*PS – kinda disappointed that there was no Nation of Domination reunion. ;)
Out? You do realize that Summerslam’s probably going to involve Punk/Cena/Show for the title.
Disagree, Chudley. The obvious play now is for Cena and Show to go off and feud with each other while Punk and Rock have a showdown over the belt. That would make sense, of course. So the WWE will probs go the opposite direction because FUCK U!!1 WWE L0GIC!!1
Mike, they won’t have a showdown till at least Royal Rumble. Also disagree Punk not being in Rock’s league. In the ring, Rock couldn’t go for twenty minutes with Cena–Punk’s got the cardio and stuff. On the mic Rock gets a way larger reaction but I think going more heel will give Punk stuff to believe in.
Vince hired a dwarf who tried to scam him out of money, sexually harassed Divas and couldn’t even speak until Santa granted his wish to be able to speak and now hired an incredibly mentally unstable person to be his GM. He has terrible ability to pick GMs. Who’s next, Matt Millen?
+1 (million angry, delusional PSU fans.)
They going to ignore the fact that there is no smackdown GM, because that seems like a strong possibility.
N
I’m pretty sure Teddy Long was just a front for the Match Making Manatees before, so I feel like smackdown will be ok.
To make it easier for Brandon, let’s post our tout videos here.
[www.tout.com]
[www.tout.com]
This is my B&W one that I made private not knowing I couldln’t change it public. Boourns tout… [www.tout.com]
I’m convinced the DX Reunion was either a hair club for Men group before photo or a anti-drug PMA the question is which is it?
The before photos for Weight Watchers for 3 of them at least.
Seriously, you’d think X-Pac had a good…what…month’s notice that they’d be doing a DX reunion, yeah? Knock off the donuts, you fat fuck.
I was convinced that there was know way there could be a satisfing ending to the main event for Punk fans, boy was i wrong. I will be pledging straight edge, thank you very much.
I need a personalized spell check button thank you very much.
I Can believe I missed being on here when Bateman was on.
Then again shit happens, and life goes on.
ONLY A COUPLE OF THOUSAND TO GO, COME ON!
WAS RAW ON TONIGHT?
If anyone wants to find me on Twitter, I’m @SeanGMC
Bedtime for Bonzo
After41 years i give up on wrestling and have never commented on a web site but good luck to aj and all the wrestlers with no balls. dumbest thing i have eber seen.
Is this Triple H?
If it is, it’s well past his bedtime.
Shiekiebaby?
Perhaps HE NEED HELP CAUSE HIS CREDIT IS ISH. Is HE IN DA GUTTA?
+1 to @William
I just finished Raw and am getting caught up now, so this may have already been said but: during the main event when Punk was looking conflicted about what to do and woke up the ref to pin Cena I honestly thought he would then lay down and put Cena’s arm over himself to lose the title because of being pinned clean by the AA a few minutes before. I would have preferred that to the heel turn we got. While I can wait to see if Punk turned heel or tweener or whatever, the conflict in Cena for being one upped in the unnecessary nobility department would have been something genuinely new in the WWE.
I was wondering if he was going to do that also and agree that it would have been interesting, but a part of me wanted to see the cunning Punk from MitB 2011 return and I’m hoping he’s back now.
I hope the “heel” version of Punk is one that is similar to the heels I used to root for in the 90′s because they were so much better than everyone else.
Agreed. I enjoyed not trying to figure it out. Going along for the ride was spectacular.
This is supposed to be in reply to the below.
I think Bateman and Percy Watson might’ve caught some crap for the whole Toutman abduction series they were doing. All of said videos have been removed.
Aww man…those were funny!
Speaking of which, whatever happened with that “mystery attacker” angle they were doing on NXT w/ McGillicutty? I assume it was Reks/Hawkins but I don’t think they ever settled it.
Did NXT EVER properly wrap up an angle? A roadmap of all those twists, turns, deadends and roundabouts would give me quite the migraine.
Curtis being handcuffed to Maxine was…odd.
That’s kind of why I loved NXT so much. It was so ridiculous it was wonderful. Great wrestling too.
Agreed. I enjoyed not trying to figure it all out. Going along for the ride was spectacular.
I miss old NXT so much, put that back on tv, and make Otunga commissioner.
Verified
Naaa. ToutMan is going in a new direction. I’m glad they were enjoyed.
I’m just glad he wasn’t future endeavor’d
Alright, off to bed, getting ready for the hell tomorrow will bring.
It’s been a blast, ladies and gents.
I assumed the extra hour was going to be used to memorialize dead wrestlers.
great show all around, not sure they can continually entertain us for 3 hours, but this was fun.
Yeah there is no way they will be able to produce watchable episodes every week, they were hit or miss with two hours.
Oh man, Bryan slow turn as Vince’s music hits….
For a 3 hour RAW set on celebrating the past more than preparing the future, it was still entertaining and, in the end, isn’t that all we want?
To make it easier for Brandon, how about we post all our tout videos about the Best and Worst of RAW in this post.
[www.tout.com]
I’m actually willing to forgive the first uneventful hour of RAW(about four and a half minutes of wrestling) for giving me the grown-up child of Mark Henry and Mae Young.
word on the street says hand will have a recurring role on RAW. HHH tapped him to become “hand of the King of Kings”, and advise him as he maintains House Helmsley’s firm grip on the continent of WWEsteros
As long as the Hand doesn’t fingerbang Katie Vick’s corpse.
as long as the hand doesn’t fall under the tutelage of Al Snow and join the J.O.B squad…
Why would the hand join the…OH, LOL!
+gameofthrones
a dismissive mae-young’s-son-wank motion would have sufficed
So I’m actually looking at tout…does the WWE own this?
WWE is one of their financiers
That makes sense. I made a tout but now I have no clue what to do and I feel strangely empty inside.
Next step share the link to said Tout with us!
Okay, TOUT ENGAGE.
[www.tout.com]
It”s a trick. We will laugh at someone making a Tout.
NOOOO MY WORST FEAR
You Tout wonderfully, Miss Lastname.
Just rewatched the Mae Young with her son, the Hand. Literally crying with laughter still.
lmao he’s all grown up!
He’s got his daddy’s grip :’-)
Isn’t it beautiful when a story comes full circle?
Closure after almost 13 years
Kaitlyn just touted a backstage moment with the Hand!
Mark Henry wants to know who the real father is of the Hand.
Imagine “Hall of Pain Founder” Mark Henry came back tonight… and had to deal with his illegitimate Hand son? Oi.
Yes, get to watch Punk sting Rock once more on a big screen.
Man, sooooo good. Rock took it like a champ.
Rock’s always sold well. I’m convinced his sells of the stunner are the basis for Dolph Ziggler’s entire career.
I WILL TAKE THIS THREAD TO 10K MYSELF.
I don’t know why, but I LOL’d at this. Maybe because I imagined some sort of dramatic actor shouting it.
For some reason I got a Will Ferrell vibe from that.
…or die tryin’
I thought of Michael Scott yelling “I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY.”
Or maybe with the same delivery as when Charlie from It’s Always Sunny threatened to smash the kid’s face into a jelly
I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!
Lisa could dominate the Diva’s Division right now, if such a thing existed.
*Lita
See, I thought you meant Saved by the Bell Lisa
Now i have Lisa turtle winning a 20 woman battle royale in my head.
I thought he meant Lisa Simpson
Name for Lisa Simpson’s finisher: The Jazz Slam, maybe?
You’re welcome :)
Next monday, Lisa Simpson, Live Sax on RAW!
Lisa would be added to the roster only so after months of development, Beth would break her leg so that Lawler could say “LISA NEEDS BRACES” while Cole talks about how great 1-800-dentist’s “DENTAL PLAN” is. Then Casey would gif it into a never-ending loop and Brandon will slyly smile at the reference while I comment “Hey, I get that joke.”
I actually meant Liesel.
knowing WWE, they’d change her name to Lisa S. to avoid copyright infringement.
wait, no, that’s too obvious…let’s say L. Simpson
This was fun as hell. Really looking forward to B&W tomorrow, our fearless leader deserves to write about something great for a change. Night y’all.
PUNK PUNK PUNK PUNK PUNK PUNK PUNK
That reminds me, B&W of Raw 0001 is up, haven’t had a chance to read it yet.
Shit, guess I’m not going to bed yet then.
Irony: HHH, then Steph, bullying Heyman into getting the match at Summerslam.
Be A Star.
The only thing that would have made this night even better would have been an appearance from the Gobbledy Gooker. :-(
If you mean Maryse, I agree that would have been amazing.
BAWK-BAWK-BAWK!
BEST. NIGHT. EVEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SQUAWK!
Ha! Vintage Gobbledy. :D
I love you, Maryse!!!!
+all the Rhodes… I’m trying to explain to my wife why this is so funny and failing horribly
Lester is to Maryse as Alex is to ___.
Eve?
WHERE!? I LOVE YOU, EVE!!!
I was passed out drunk. Did the Oddities show up and teach Heath Slater the true meaning of friendship?
Nah, they’re too busy cooking up meth for the Gathering of the Juggalos.
Thanks to special guest Brandon Stroud for showing up!