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kritomiesterbanta · 6 years ago

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Cruel Summer [Part 5]

ABOUT: Y/N is not happy about her boyfriend Shawn having to fake date Camila, nor is he happy about Y/N’s blossoming friendship with Connor

WORD COUNT: 4,271

NOTES: Thank you for the continued out pour of love and support for my Cruel Summer series! I love this story, so I’m glad you are all loving it too! I’m definitely interested in hearing whether you are team Shawn or Team Connor, especially after reading this part! Let me know!

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 6

You loved Shawn, you truly did, which is why you were trying so damn hard to separate what was going on, with how you felt about him. The thing was, this whole watching him “date” someone else was killing you on the inside. Part of you had to wonder if maybe even coming out here on tour to begin with had been a bad idea. As hard as it had been to be apart, and to mostly communicate through texts, phone calls, and facetime, at least you wouldn’t have had a front row seat to his arms being wrapped around another girl.

You had done your best to be supportive, and not say anything, but your heart had been broken the morning that Shawn had approached you to let you know that they needed to step things up with Camila. You knew this wasn’t going to be a conversation that you liked, especially since you could see in his own eyes that he was hurting and dreading this, but to make things look more real and believable he was going to have to kiss Camila.

They had kissed a little bit during the filming of Senorita, but for some reason this just seemed different. He had tried to reassure you that it was just acting, and that he didn’t want to be doing it, but for the sake of all the work that they had put into this, they needed to keep it up, and of course, step it up as well. You wanted to believe that what he was saying was true, that it was different, but it certainly didn’t seem like it.

In Senorita they were playing characters. While maybe they were still to some extent playing characters now, and heightened versions of themselves, they were ultimately still being Shawn and Camila, and it hurt that your Shawn, that your boyfriend, was going to be kissing another woman.

Then again, what could you really do? You were a nobody. You didn’t get to dictate any of this, especially since you already felt like Shawn didn’t get much of a say himself. When he told you that this wasn’t something he wanted to do, you believed him. You could see it in his face, especially when it was just the two of you alone in a room.

It had even gotten to the point that it wasn’t even something you wanted to discuss with him at all. Each night when it was just the two of you alone in your room you could see the weight of what was going on was killing him. He was stressed, he was exhausted, and you could see the guilt in his eyes when he looked at you. He knew that he was hurting you, and you knew that was killing him, and therefore you had stopped letting him in. You didn’t want to add to the stress of everything going on.

You coming to join the tour for the summer was supposed to be something fun, and something calming for Shawn, you weren’t here to cause waves or make things more difficult. Instead, you did your best to be the kind of distraction he needed, not the girl that complained about how damn hard it was to watch him with Camila, talk about Camila in interviews or the Q&A’s, or bring up just how hurt and heartbroken you were on the inside.

You knew that you were slowly breaking down, and that you couldn’t keep going on like this, but you were hopeful that somehow, or someway this would get easier. It was only supposed to be a summer fling. You could get through this, you had to.

You knew that Shawn was growing more and more frustrated with your own relationship and friendship with Connor, but it wasn’t something that you could give up. He honestly was the only one keeping you sane, especially since he did provide as the perfect distraction, and when everything got to be a little too much he was the first one to grab your hand and pull you off so the two of you could go on your own adventure.

The two of you didn’t even need to be doing anything crazy or all that significant for you to enjoy your time together. Actually, the times where you and Connor just went around taking pictures and videos, or even just sat in his hotel room while you watched him edit were more than enough for you. As long as you didn’t have to watch your boyfriend put his hands all over another woman you were happy, and Connor seemed more than happy to be that distraction.

At first you had felt rather guilty about always pulling him away from everything, but after assuring you that this too was what he’d rather be doing, you had stopped asking if it was okay, or trying to assure him that you’d be okay if you stayed around and watched the “show” that Shawn and Camila were putting on. Plus, he had long since learned to see past your bullshit answers when you tried to play it tough or cool. He knew you weren’t happy or okay, and he didn’t like you having to force yourself through it.

As much as you hated it, Shawn did make his occasional comment about it, especially after each time you put up a new selfie of you and Connor on your Instagram. It really had just become a running joke between the two of you, since he constantly teased you about your love of selfies, and you teased him about his ridiculous hatred for them. Plus, you didn’t see anything wrong with it. There were plenty of pictures out there with Shawn with Camila, so why couldn’t you have pictures of you and Conner?

That had been the original story after all. You were on tour to spend time with your friend Connor. You were only selling that storyline even further, and even more than that, Connor was your friend now. Actually, given how close the two of you had gotten the past few weeks you would argue that he was becoming one of your closest friends. The two of you just got each other, and while that maybe bugged your boyfriend, it was something that you needed, and therefore something that Shawn needed to deal with.

As much as you wished that Shawn could be your refuge when things got tough, that just wasn’t the case. You didn’t want to add any more stress to his pile, and it did just seem to make more sense to go to Connor when you had to vent or complain. In some ways, you felt like Connor just happened to get it more than Shawn did anyway. You of course didn’t want to complain about Shawn as a boyfriend, since when it was just the two of you, he was the best, but he could get understandably defensive when he felt attacked over the situation.

You knew that he was just about as ready for this Camila stuff to be over as you were, and since it wasn’t like he was trying to hurt you on purpose you didn’t like looking at him in a negative light. Honestly, if none of this Camila stuff had happened you would argue that he had been one of the best boyfriends you had ever had, but these days it was hard to see all of that.

With Shawn’s birthday nearing you had been so excited about the idea of being able to celebrate together, and before all of this had happened, it had been the day you were looking forward to the most. Twenty-one was a pretty monumental birthday after all, and instead of being some star studded party, it was mostly going to be his best and closest friends that were invited.

However, the closer it got, and as more details of the big day, and the big party were being revealed you soon came to the realization that you weren’t going to be able to play the big part in the day that you had originally wanted and hoped for. Shawn had assured you that he wanted you close by all night, but you couldn’t hold hands or act like a couple. There were going to be cameras there after all, and if anything got leaked it would ruin everything that he, Camila, and their teams had worked towards.

While everyone on tour knew the truth about you and Shawn, most of the party goers wouldn’t know that, and it wasn’t safe to let your relationship be seen or discovered. There were already a lot of people out there that weren’t buying his and Camila’s relationship, and while selfishly that made you sort of happy, you also knew that it was in his best interest for it not to be found out what was actually happening and going on.

Like usual, you reminded yourself that you would have Connor there, and that at least made it so you weren’t completely dreading the party. This was Shawn’s big day after all, and being the good girlfriend that you were, you did want to make this as easy and drama free as possible. The day wasn’t about you, even if as his girlfriend you did feel like you should have been given a bit more consideration in all of this, but what really could you say? If it was up to Shawn you imagined he saw this day going a little differently as well, so at least there was that.

When the big day had finally arrived, you did your best to make it special for just the two of you. You were the first one to see him in the morning, which meant you were the first one that was going to be able to wish him happy birthday. That was precisely why you had woken up early, and thanks to a little arranging, and the help of a few others, you had his favorite breakfast delivered to the room, along with a cupcake that you were able to light up with the one candle that sat in the middle of it.

“Happy Birthday to you,” you softly sang, after having lit the candle and made your way over to his side of the bed where he was currently laying shirtless, in nothing more than his boxer briefs, stomach down. “Happy Birthday dear Shawn,” you continued as he turned to look at you with a boyish grin and sleepy eyes as you finished up singing. “Make a wish babe,” you directed as he quickly blew it out before finally pushing himself up and moving into a seated position with his legs off the bed.

“Thanks babygirl. You are amazing, and I’m so lucky to have you,” he smiled as he pulled you closer so he could rest his hands on your hips.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around, but I’ll take it,” you playfully declare before leaning down to press your lips to his.

The two of you had definitely taken advantage of the alone time together, and had actually spent the majority of the day and early afternoon together in his room, but unfortunately that hadn’t been able to last. His family had flown in to spend the big day with him, and with lunch having been planned he had needed to say goodbye and leave.

While you had met his family, and gotten along great with all of them, there were likely pictures going to be taken, and it wouldn’t make sense for a random girl that was friends with Connor, and not his actual girlfriend to be at lunch with them. If a girl was going to go, it would have been Camila, but Shawn had thankfully requested for that not to happen.

In the end, you had found a way to keep yourself busy with a little shopping as you picked out the perfect little red dress to wear tonight, gotten a manicure and pedicure, and had even arranged to have your hair and make-up done by a professional. Even if you weren’t going to be the one totally at Shawn’s side tonight, you wanted to look good for him.

While you had unfortunately hoped to ride to his party with him tonight, that hadn’t happened. Shawn was to walk in after most of the guests were to arrive, and much to your chagrin, he was going to walk in with Camila, and his family.

You couldn’t lie. That sucked, and it hurt, but like usual you had Connor by your side to make it feel alright, or at least as good as you could possibly feel about any of this. In the end, you didn’t want to make his big day about you, so despite how shitty you felt, you slapped a fake smile on your face, even if Connor could easily see right past it. Actually, you found yourself deeply hoping that Shawn could as well, but you knew it was a selfish thought.

After walking in you and Connor made your rounds, talked to a few people, and had gotten a glass of champagne to celebrate Shawn’s imminent arrival. Once it was announced that he was coming in soon, you made sure that you and Connor were right near the front.

As Shawn made his grand entrance you, like everyone else began to shout at the top of your lungs, and you couldn’t help the butterflies as his eyes immediately found yours. Maybe you didn’t get to walk in by his side, but he was doing his best to show that you weren’t forgotten. It also helped that he was clearly taking in you, your dress, and little makeover, and he was obviously impressed. You had seen that look in his eyes before, and you could tell it was taking everything in his power to not walk over there and kiss you in front of everybody.

So maybe it hadn’t been your favorite to see his hand in Camila’s, but it was you he had looked at like that, and not her, and that was what was getting you through. You watched as he made his rounds a bit, hugging quite a few people and thanking them for coming, before he finally made his way over to you.

“Hey,” he smiled, his eyes once again taking you in, while also trying not to give too much away about how he truly felt about you, especially since tonight, to all these people Camila was Shawn’s girlfriend. Not you.

“Hey,” you shyly smiled back, loving the way his eyes had just looked over you all over again.

“You look so beautiful babygirl,” he whispered into your ear as he had moved in to give you a hug. “I’m pretty sure you are the birthday present I’m most looking forward to unwrap,” he softly joked before slowly pulling away, his touch lingering for as long as he could possibly make it.

“Oh my God Shawn, have you already been drinking?” you tease as he innocently shrugs his shoulders, making you giggle.

“Come on, it’s my twenty first, I may have had a drink or two on the way over,” he admits as you let out another soft giggle and a shake of the head.

“Well you deserve it. I hope you are having a good birthday so far,” you admit, even if your heart sort of hurts that this is going to have to be your only interaction for awhile. You would give anything to spend the entire night by his side, and holding his hands as he goes around and talks to everyone and introduces you to his old friends, but you get why that can’t be.

“It’s been good.. But I wish it could be a little different,” he admits back, almost as if you two are sharing a very similar thought.

“Well we will hang out later tonight, right?” you try offer in an effort to see that signature Shawn smile that you love so much, and one he deserves to be wearing on his birthday.

“Of course, Like I said, I still need to unwrap my present,” he teases as he sends what is likely an inappropriate wink in your direction, but neither of you seem to care as you share in this moment and laugh together.

“I need to go and talk to some people and say hi, but you’ll be close by right?” he asks, a familiar look of concern and pleading showing up on his face.

“Of course,” you smile in assurance as you reach out and give his hand a small squeeze before he unfortunately has to pull away, looking back at you, giving you one last smile before heading into the crowd.

As much as you loved your interaction with Shawn just then, an emptiness and sadness begin to consume you, but luckily before you can let yourself dwell on it, Connor is at your side.

“What do you say we take a shot?” he asks, and while you aren’t much of a drinker, you are pretty sure you are going to need to something in order to get through this night. Plus, with it being Shawn’s twenty-first you know he plans on drinking quite a bit, so why not join in?

That isn’t the only shot you take that night, nor is it the only drink you consume other than the tiny bit of champagne you had to mark his arrival. You definitely have a buzz going on, and maybe a little more, but it feels good. Even more, it feels good not to be dwelling on the fact that your boyfriend is off socializing without you, with Camila by his side, likely portraying the role of the doting girlfriend that should be you.

Actually though, you are having plenty of fun where you are at with Connor as the two of you make your presence known on the dance floor. You would never claim to be a professional, or to even know what you are doing, but you also feel like you have rhythm and do alright, unlike Connor. In fact, his moves crack you up, which only makes this even more fun.

Being you, you have also already pulled out your phone to take the selfie that Connor so loudly proclaims he hates, but you know he secretly loves. Plus, he always looks amazing in them. While he may normally prefer to be the one behind the camera, you think that is just a travesty. His face was made to be in front of the camera.

You know you promised Shawn to be close by, and while you really had tried to make that happen, it had not only gotten a bit boring to be the weird girl secretly lurking in the back, it had gotten to feel kind of weird. So instead, you had chosen to take advantage of the fact that you were at your boyfriend’s huge birthday bash, even if it was Connor by your side instead.

When it was time for the cake to be presented everyone did their best to gather in close as a loud round of happy birthday was sung. You did your best to get in as close as you could with Connor by your side, but given how many people had come tonight to celebrate the birthday boy you definitely weren’t as close as you would have hoped. The one thing that had made you at least feel somewhat better about this moment was that he had searched you out in the crowd and sent a little wink, but soon his attention was directed elsewhere.

You couldn’t blame him. He was the man of the hour after all, but that didn’t stop the sting of not being the one by his side from consuming you. It certainly wasn’t helping that you were also a tad bit tipsy, and Camila was right there where you should have been. After the candles had been blown out and a silly drunken speech had been given by your incredibly cute and adorable boyfriend your mood suddenly switched as Camila went in to give Shawn a big birthday kiss as the crowd cheered.

You however, were not cheering, and you certainly weren’t happy. In fact, that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as you pushed your way out of the small crowd. Despite the fact that you were already outside in the New York air, you couldn’t help but feel like you couldn’t breathe and like you needed more of it.

Out of nowhere Connor reached for your hand, and thankfully led you away, and down a small alley where it looked like the two of you could have some much needed privacy. You of course wanted to blame it on the alcohol, but there likely was much more involved in all of this as hot tears began to fall down your cheeks.

“Come here,” he softly directed you as he pulled you into his arms as you buried your head in his chest, as one of his hands rested on the back of your head, as the tears continued to fall. You weren’t sure how long the two of you had stood like that, but finally you felt strong enough to pull back to look at him.

“I’m sorry I..” you began as you did your best to wipe at your eyes, before he quickly shook his head.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I get it. This is hard Y/N,” he assures you, as he affectionately moves in to wipe a tear off your cheek.

“It is, and you would think I’d be used to it by now,” you sighed, hating that this was still something you couldn’t seem to get over.

“And you shouldn’t have to. You shouldn’t even have to be dealing with this in the first place. It’s fucked up. You are one of the most amazing women I have ever met, and I don’t get why Shawn is doing this,” he cursed, actually surprising you by how passionate he is about all of this.

“Well, I mean, he doesn’t really have a choice,” you try to offer in defense of Shawn.

“Of course he has a choice. He could have said no, but he didn’t, and he’s still letting this shit show carry on despite how obvious it is that it’s hurting you. It’s bullshit,” he further ranted, his words actually sinking in as you first wonder how much of a choice Shawn does have, and even more, you wonder how obvious it really is what all of this is doing to you. Is everyone else feeling the same way about all of this?

You hate the idea of looking weak or pathetic, and you don’t like the idea of everyone knowing that this isn’t easy on you. Okay, so maybe it isn’t something that should be easy, but you did want to be there and you did want to be supportive.

“I get it Y/N, you’re trying to be a good girlfriend for him,” he further offers, feeling somewhat annoyed that this isn’t the first time today that your thoughts seem to be totally transparent. “But he doesn’t fucking deserve it. He doesn’t deserve you,” he loudly declares as his hands from around you drop as he throws them passionately up into the air in frustration.

“Connor,” you begin, but honestly, what are you supposed to say to that, especially after having had him witness your first real break down since coming out here.

“I mean it, you are amazing, and you don’t deserve this,” he keeps going, obviously sensing that you aren’t sure what to say. “You deserve a boyfriend that chooses you. That chooses you over some music sales, and makes you feel like you are always his number one priority. If you were my girlfriend Y/N, I would never do that to you,” he confidently declares as he moves to cut off the distance between the two of you once more as he places a soft hand on the side of your neck as his thumb softly brushes up against the skin of your cheek. “I would make sure to show you each and every day that you are my only priority, and that nothing is more important than you.”

“Connor..” you softly trail as your eyes move up to meet his, feeling completely conflicted in this moment. Those words, they mean the world to you, and for the first time since Shawn has said something about Connor having feelings for you, you realize that maybe he was right all along, and you aren’t sure what to think about that.

On one hand, you know he is right. Shawn isn’t treating you like his number one priority, but you love him despite all of that, and despite what he can offer you at the moment. On the other hand, not only is Connor saying all the right words, you are starting to wonder if maybe somewhere along the line you had fallen for him too. It’s all so confusing, but before you even have time to think about what you want, you are soon interrupted.

“What the fuck Connor? Get away from my girlfriend,” Shawn loudly shouts, as you quickly jump away from Connor and his touch as your eyes quickly move between the two men, neither looking even remotely happy with the other. In fact, you can see fire and anger there, and know, this in no way is going to end well.

Taglist: @justanotherfangurl272

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c0bblenygma · 6 years ago

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The theory about Billy Hargrove being an experiment is probably real

Ok, so the “Billy is an experiment” is not too far-fetched. I searched for some stuff that people who work on ST said about Billy, stuff Dacre said in interviews and just here me out:

We already know that Billy is getting more screen time in Season 3, just like Lucas’ little sister Erica.

“In an interview with Vulture, Matt Duffer explained that Billy was originally going to have a big role in Season 2 and was going to be involved in a whole supernatural subplot, but this was pushed into Season 3.

“Billy was supposed to have a bigger role,” Duffer explained. “We ended up having so many characters it ended up, in a way, more teed up for season three than anything. There was a whole teen supernatural storyline that just got booted because it was just too cluttered, you know? A lot of that’s just getting kicked into season three.”

Duffer went on to say that they always forget how little time they have to work with every season and get overly ambitious about what ideas they want to put in.” - Font: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/stranger-things-season-3-new-characters-bigger-role.html/

The Vulture interview: http://www.vulture.com/2017/10/the-duffer-brothers-recap-stranger-things-2-madmax.html

Dacre gave an interview at the Emmy 2018 and said this about Billy in season 3: “We see more depth on his character towards the end of the season (2). This season (3) a lot more sinister things are going on, but also a lot more depth.”

thanks to @missblasphemy for the video (http://missblasphemy.tumblr.com/post/178209274940/dacre-talking-about-billy-on-s3-via)

This week the official companion book “Worlds Turned Upside Down” was released and there’s some stuff on there about Billy:

“He (Steve) was originally in a plotline with Billy that we didn’t end up having room for, so Steve was sort of sitting there(…)” – Page 173.

Thanks @myriophyllous for the picture (https://myriophyllous.tumblr.com/post/179751576282/reading-the-new-stranger-things-book-like-what-is)

And this:

“(‘Big-time Billy in season 3,’ promises executive producer Shawn Levy.) The character’s story line might surprise some fans, according to actor Dacre Montgomery, and he was excited to take the villain in some unexpected directions. “There’s much more depth to him, but also much more darkness in this particular season,” Montgomery says.” – Page 218.

Thanks @myriophyllous for the picture (https://myriophyllous.tumblr.com/post/179768193292/more-from-the-stranger-things-bookon-the-plus)

Also @highon85 shared this screenshot today from the E! website:

Font: https://highon85.tumblr.com/post/179828759616/probably-not-news-to-anyone-but-i-threw-up-a

Ignore the whole Karen&Billy thing and focus on this:

“We ended up having so many characters it ended up, in a way, more teed up for season three than anything," Matt revealed to Vulture. "There was a whole teen supernatural story line that just got booted because it was just too cluttered, you know? A lot of that's just getting kicked into season three."

The article link: https://m.eonline.com/amp/news/984122/celebrate-stranger-things-day-with-some-season-3-scoop

So here we have different sources saying that there was supposed to be a “teen supernatural story line” + Steve was supposed to have a story line WITH Billy. It’s the SAME storyline! And it got booted cause they didn’t have free space, but now they are bringing it back for season 3 and Billy is a main piece on all of this. IT IS ABOUT THE UPSIDE DOWN!

We also got the Dacre’s selfie with a new haircut. He shared on October 17th. The season finished shooting early this week apparently, since they had a party to celebrate it. This means that he shaved his head almost at the end of shooting cause he probably shot all his Billy with mullet scenes already. But WHY did he shaved? Flashbacks! Why else Billy would appear with a shaved head, like Eleven had in the first season? He’s a fucking experiment.

Everything points out at Billy having something to do with the lab/upside down. The theory about him being one of the experiments is too real. I do think they may have gone this way and we’ll shit bricks when the season premieres.

#billy hargrove #dacre montgomery #stranger things #harringrove

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hazyheel · 6 years ago

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WWE Monday Night Raw 8/19/19 Review

Dolph Ziggler vs. Roman Reigns: Jerry Lawler was on commentary for the night because Corey Graves is on vacation. That’ll make for some interesting commentary. We saw a recap of the various things that have ben happening to Roman Reigns recently, and then Ziggler came out. And I was genuinely surprised, because matches don’t open Raw anymore. Ziggler got on the mic and told Reigns that he was sorry that a bunch of things almost happened to him. He then complained about all of his bad luck lately, like getting beaten up by Goldberg, Shawn Michaels and the Miz. He was talking about how it should be him, and he superkicked Reigns in the middle of his sentence. The bell rang and Roman gave Ziggler a hard right to the face and sent him tumbling out of the ring. Reigns went ot follow up with a flying forearm, but Ziggler pushed him into the barricade and gave him a Zig Zag on the outside. Roman fought back into things, at one point going for a superman punch, which Ziggler countered with a beautiful rollup, followed by a spike DDT. Ziggler actually seemed to have all of Reigns’ moves scouted. He always has some great counters to Reigns’ big moves. At one point, he dodged a spear and Reigns hit the turnbuckle, so Ziggler followed up with a Zig Zag for a near fall. Ziggler then went for Sweet Chin Music, but Reigns caught the kick and spun Ziggler around into a superman punch for a near fall. Reigns then went for a spear, but Ziggler countered into a Famouser. Neither man would stay down, and both guys knew how to counter the signature offense. Ziggler then yelled at Reigns that his time was up, and that he was an idiot for wasting his chance. He then went for a flying splash into the corner, but Reigns intercepted him with a spear for the win.

Grade: B. A really good match to open up the show. They had a fast paced contest that was full of exciting counters. Reigns obviously deserved a win here, because he will probably be in a couple important matches leading up to Clash of Champions, or maybe Hell in a Cell. But it was nice to see a pretty good match opening Raw.

Becky Lynch Backstage: she talked about how Sasha Banks took her ball and went home, and how she came back hotter than ever. She said that Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Lynch made herself the top dog in the women’s division. She said that Banks is the greatest wrestler in the women’s division to never be great. And she said that whatever her problem is with Lynch, she is more than happy to settle it.

Kings Court with Sasha Banks: before Banks came out, Jerry Lawler put over the King of the Ring tournament a bit. They revealed the bracket, and the first round looks totally stacked. He was giving his predictions, when the lights started to go out, so he left the ring. At the top of the entrance ramp, the Fiend showed up behind him and gave him the mandible claw and put him on the ground. Vic Joseph took over for Lawler.

Grade: B-. Not a particularly badass attack, but I like that Wyatt is still sidelining legends, and that wasn’t just a one off thing. I don’t know where it is going, but it is certainly interesting.

Also, I was originally going to make a separate post about the King of the Ring tournament, but I will just make my prediction here. I think that Buddy Murphy is going to get the win, because he is a phenomenal talent and he really deserves it. Yes he is wrapped up in a different storyline, but there is no reason not to give it to him, especially if they don’t have a title shot attached to the win. Murphy will make a big splash if he wins the tournament here, so I think it’ll be him.

Baron Corbin & Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet & The Miz: A battle of the remaining entrants in the King of the Ring tournament. The faces took control early on, working really really well together. But of course, coming back from commercial, Corbin was in control. He switched up the ring gear a bit for this match, wearing a tank top to the ring. It looked good, I like it. The heels beat down the Miz throughout most of the match, until Miz hit McIntyre with a spike DDT, and got the hot tag to Ricochet, who peppered his opponents with a series of strikes and kicks. McIntyre eventually ran in and stopped Ricochet dead in his tracks, beating down both he and the Miz. He went for a Claymore on Ricochet, but Ricochet countered with a hook kick to the face, followed by a Skull Crushing Finale from Miz. Corbin then gave Miz a chokeslam, but Ricochet flipped out of another attempt at it, only for Corbin to hit a Deep Six instead. In the finish, Corbin went to give Ricochet a shoulder check in the corner, but Miz pulled him out of the way, allowing Ricochet to hit Recoil for the win.

Grade: B. A weak B, but still this was a good tag match. It started out slow, but it came into its own as the match developed. It was very New Japan style booking to have this match, but I think it worked out. Miz and Ricochet had some good teamwork, while the heels are just dominant singles stars. Makes me very interesting for their matches next week.

Booker T interview: Booker T talked about The Fiend Bray Wyatt taking out legends lately, saying that someone needs to take him down. Then he talked about his success in King of the Ring 2006. He predicted that Drew McIntyre to win the tournament. These are kinda interesting interviews, I like it.

AJ Styles vs. Braun Strowman for the United States Championship: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson cornered Styles here. Before the match started, they showed Styles making the challenge for this week. As the match started, Strowman quickly opted to attack the OC on the outside. Strowman was able to take down the OC, and even wiped out Styles when he went for a Phenomenal forearm. As Strowman was about to hit the running powerslam, Gallows ran in for a thrust kick and the disqualification.

The Tag team champions beat down Strowman, but Seth Rollins ran down and made the save. He cleaned house a bit and helped Strowman to his feet.

Backstage, Rollins ran up and talked to Strowman, telling him that if it was up to him, then Strowman would be the next contender for the Universal Championship. However, they still need to do some work on the OC, and Rollins suggested that they challenge for the Raw Tag Team Championships in the main event. Strowman agreed, and Rollins ran off to make that happen.

Grade: B-. Decent match with a nice beating to cap it off. Rollins paid Strowman back for the save last week, and everything wrapped up in a nice little bow. Of course, this story isn’t over. I am into the tag team championship stuff it makes sense. It’ll be an exciting match, although I doubt there will be a title change.

Cesaro vs. Samoa Joe in the first round of the 2019 King of the Ring: Cesaro started with a huge European uppercut right out of the gates, blasting Joe and getting a near fall out of it. Joe got him right back with a stif back elbow right away, and the two were out to the races. They traded hard strikes over and over again, with Joe putting Cesaro clean over the barricade. Then two then proceeded to chop each other until their chests were red, but Joe continued to keep the advantage. Cesaro was eventually able to get control with a series of hard strikes and a vicious kick to the face, but only a near fall. He followed it up with a botched vertical suplex, but he picked it right back up for a nice looking one right afterwards. Cesaro beat on Joe all around the ring, inside and out, and getting several near falls out of it. Joe eventually fought back with a vicious uranagi into the mat at a dangerously high angle. Cesaro then got the big swing, but only got a couple rotations before locking in a sharpshooter, and then a crossface. As he went for a Neutralizer, Joe back body dropped him out of it and then caught him out of a springboard into the Coquina Clutch for the win.

Grade: B+. Wow, what a hard hitting contest. A great way to open up the tournament this year, two hard hitting Ring of Honor veterans tearing it up between the ropes. It seemed like either guy could win, and the heel vs. heel dynamic complemented that, but the crowd was very much pulling for Joe. They were happy when he won, as was I. Match of the night.

Elias Concert: Before the start, we saw Elias in the recording studio, about to record a song, when Drake Maverick ran in for the rollup, and Elias kicked the living crap out of him. When the concert actually started, he kept having issues with his mic, and he announced that this was his fairwell performance. He said that he wasn’t willing to come out live each week and risk his championship. He then started to play, but his guitar was out of tune, and his Mic kept going fuzzy. So he demanded a new guitar, so a crew member got in the ring and kept pulling the new guitar away from him. R-Truth was revealed to be the guy, and Truth tried to roll him up a couple times, and even a scissor kick. Elias kept kicking out, but he couldn’t run away. So, Truth grabbed the guitar, but Elias fled before Truth could hit him with it.

Grade: B-. I’m into this. Elias didn’t just slip away, he actually put up some fight, which was nice to see. And we have a little story developing for him with the championship, so the division is expanding. The 24/7 title is moving up in the world.

Rey Mysterio interview: Mysterio talked about the difficulty he has had recently in his problems with Andrade. He also kinda mentioned his family, and said that things haven’t really been clicking with him lately. He said that he needs to defend his honor from Andrade, but his body hasn’t been able to keep up. He said that his biggest fear is that his injuries are catching up to him. He said that he was going to hang up his mask, and he was about to do it. But Dominic ran up to him and told him not to do it. Dominic said that he wants to team with him, so that he can tell his kids that he teamed with the great Rey Mysterio. So, Mysterio opted not to retire, and he told Dominic that he loves him. Very emotional, although Dominic does not have a lot of charisma. Interesting stuff, I’d like to see how good Dominic is.

The New Day vs. The Revival: This was a match that was supposed to happen last week, but Randy Orton turned it into a six man tag. This time, neither team had a second, it was a straight up tag match. Big E and Scott Dawson started things out with some nice strength based wrestling, and the faces took control for the early portions of the match. However, the Revival were able to beat down Woods for a while before Big E tagged in and threw Dash Wilder around. Big E was about to give Wilder the spear through the ropes, when Randy Orton gave an awesome RKO out of nowhere, if you’ll excuse the pun.

Kofi Kingston then ran down to the ring, taking out the Revival but eating an RKO of his own. Woods then ran in and got some nice hits in, but the Revival lifted him up into an RKO as well, with the heels standing tall again. They even set up Woods to break his knee, which Orton forced Kingston to watch. Wilder crushed his knee, and Woods writhed in pain on the mat.

Grade: B. Another really good beatdown angle. The Revival and Randy Orton are a really good team. Orton is always great as part of a stable, and leading the Revival he seems to be finding himself. This is actually becoming the best angle that Kingston has had during his WWE Championship run. Orton is back to his brutal sadistic self, and it is great. I’m into this feud, which is nice because I want to remember Kingston’s reign.

Sasha Banks Interview: Banks talked about why she did what she did last week. She kinda ignored the questions, only really talking about her hair, until Michael Cole started to address them specifically. When he got a little too forceful, Banks just said “You’re Welcome” and left.

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Fire and Desire: This is a non-title match, but one that I’m still excited to see. The new champions are a pretty new team, so they need some experienced opponents to learn more about teaming together. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville used their strength advantage early on to keep the advantage, also showing their striking prowess. At one point, Cross was able to distract Rose a bit, which allowed Bliss to take advantage and turn the match in her favor. In the finish, Cross gave Rose a shoulder tackle to take her off the apron, and then intercepted Deville as she attacked Bliss with a swinging neckbreaker for the win.

Grade: C. Decent match, but not nearly enough time to get going. Rose and Deville are a very capable tag team, and I would’ve loved to see them against Banks and Bayley back in the day. Bliss and Cross are coming into their own slowly, and more matches like this, probably longer ones will be needed.

Braun Strowman & Seth Rollins backstage: Rollins was trying to discuss their strategy in the tag team match in the main event. The two clashed over who should lead, and we were left unsure if their future feud over the Universal Championship would affect their match.

Cedric Alexander vs. Sami Zayn in the first round of the 2019 King of the Ring: Zayn started with some striking, doing his bet to ground Alexander and keep him from picking up the pace. He wore down Alexander with a series of holds, but he didn’t target any body part in particular. The second that Alexander picked up the pace, he didn’t stop at all. He hit the Neuralizer and the Lumbar check for the win.

Grade: C+. Way way way too quick. These two can put on an amazing match, but they didn’t because of time. That just sucks. But Alexander was the right choice, and I hope that he makes it to the semifinals.

The Street Profits Backstage: the two were there, comparing their brackets of the King of the Ring. They hyped up the rest of the tournament, and then complained that there wasn’t a tag team king of the ring. Montez Ford said that the only reason there wasn’t one was because they were already kings of the rings. Then they hyped the main event.

The OC Backstage: Gallows and Anderson talked about how they thought that Rollins and Strowman didn’t deserve a title shot, so Styles told them that this is a chance to prove how dominant of a stable they are.

Natalya Backstage: she started to talk about how she felt betrayed by Sasha and how emotional she is, but Sasha Banks ran in and attacked her again. She tried to further injure her arm, and then told her to go to hell and tell Jim Neidhart she said hi. That’s a little far.

Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins vs. The OC for the Raw Tag Team Championships: Styles was out to be in the corner with his teammates. Strowman and Gallows started the match, and Strowman took control for his team. He quickly tagged in Rollins, who immediately lost control due to his injured ribs. Rollins fought his way through all of them, eventually landing on the outside where the numbers game caught up to him. The OC worked over Rollins’ ribs, which was constantly being injured, even as he hit his own offense. They even took out Strowman, as Styles distracted him and allowed Gallows to push him into the post and take him out with a big boot. Rollins then successfully fought in a two on one situation, up until he went for a frog splash and Styles pushed him off the top. At one point, Gallows held Rollins so that Styles could take a pot shot, but Strowman bowled through and destroyed Styles. He got the hot tag and wrecked house, giving Anderson a running powerslam. As he made the pin, Rollins caught Styles with a Curb Stomp, and they won the damn tag belts.

As the night faded out, Rollins and Strowman posed on the entrance ramp, and they both stared at the Universal Championship belt.

Grade: B-. A strong B-, but an overall shocking ending. I didn’t think for a second that Rollins and Strowman would win here. Certainly an interesting booking decision. I look forward to seeing where this goes. Rollins is a double champion once again, and Monday Night Raw got a lot more interesting.

Overall Grade: B-

Pros: ziggler vs. reigns; ricochet & miz vs. mcintyre & corbin; cesaro vs. joe; new day vs. revival;

Cons: Bliss and Cross vs. Fire and Desire

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dapaywinduh-blog · 8 years ago

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WWE Raw Time Machine: Episode One

I actually checked out of wrestling after Survivor Series, and didn't come back until Royal Rumble. Now I'm in it again, and so the appeal of the WWE Network's back catalogue is creeping up again. I have decided to start in January of 1993 with the first episode of Raw, and see how far I get. <\p>

Monday Night Raw as a concept annoyed me as a kid. It essentially replaced Prime Time Wrestling, which for a few years was one of my favorite shows. The team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan discussing current storylines and dressing up for Halloween was perfection for me. Of course, Vince would meddle with the formula after a few years, switching to a panel discussion show for a while. The idea of the MacLaughlin Group with Hacksaw and Reverend Slick was not something anyone wanted, but it was better than the concept that replaced it - a talk/variety show with Vince and the Brain discussing the news of the day and trotting out wrestlers for unfunny skits. This bombed as well, leading to the move to Mondays and the full revamp of Prime Time Wrestling into Raw.<\p>

The first episode begins with the original WWE vapid backstage interviewer, Sean Mooney, outside the Manhattan Center, telling a frantic Bobby Heenan that he isn't allowed in, and has been replaced by Rob Bartlett. These skits would continue through the hour, with Bobby trying to get inside first in drag as Bartlett's aunt, then as his uncle in a Hasidic Jew disguise. Opening the show by telling us Heenan wouldn't be announcing was, I think, an attempt to show us how new and different this Raw concept would be. Instead it immediately pissed me off.<\p>

The announce team featured Vince McMahon as play-by-play, Macho Man Randy Savage as color, and Rob Bartlett filling a comedian role no one asked for. Bartlett was from the Imus In The Morning radio show, and he seemed to know nothing about what he was seeing. He called Yokozuna "Yokozooma" and made the typical jokes about him eating a lot, smelling bad, etc. At one point, Bartlett pretends to be Mike Tyson calling in from prison. It was such a bad impression, if Vince hadn't identified him, I would have had no idea who he was supposed to be. I had hoped he wouldn't last past the first episode, but he made it to the second, so I've apparently got to suffer this fool for a while longer.<\p>

Wrestling-wise, there is only so much you can do with a single hour. There was a Yoko squash, a fun match between Max Moon and HBK (who would have worked together previously when Shawn was a Rocker and Max was Kato in the Orient Express), and a main event of Damien Demento vs The Undertaker. One thing I noticed was that in the Manhattan Center, the ring was very close to the entryway, so it took no time at all for the wrestlers to get to the ring. This meant that Shawn Michaels was in the ring before Sherri got to the chorus of "Sexy Boy", and Taker was raising the lights before the gongs in his music were finished. That combined with the balcony seating and super bright lighting made the whole thing look way different than the arena footage from Superstars or Wrestling Challenge of the same era.<\p>

Episode One also included a "Royal Rumble Control Center" insert, with Mean Gene running down the card for the upcoming PPV. These bits always got me excited for upcoming shows, and I miss them from the current product. As the show ended, Vince plugged next week's episode, saying they would feature a match between Woody Allen and his ex-wife Mia Farrow.<\p>

Watching it now, Monday Night Raw seems like it would have been a big letdown for anyone who remembered Prime Time Wrestling fondly. The show was an hour shorter, didn't have the great Gorilla/Heenan banter, and was full of terrible pop culture pandering. The wrestling wasn't any better - a squash is a squash no matter if it was taped at a house show or done "live" on Raw. 1993 is an interesting year for WWE character-wise - the company is transitioning out of the Hogan era and into the New Generation, but the change isn't complete. This was most notable in the Royal Rumble segment. The list of competitors in the Rumble included 80's guys like Macho Man, Ted Dibiase, and Tito Santana, as well as guys who were growing into major stars, like Undertaker and Owen Hart, and a slew of New Generation crap gimmicks, like Damien Demento and Tatanka. As this experiment goes forward, I am interested to see this transition continue. Bret Hart is already the World Champion in his first reign, Hulk Hogan is on some extended vacation post-Mania 8, and Ric Flair won't last much past the Rumble before heading back to WCW.<\p>

We will explore this more with Episode Two of Monday Night Raw next time...

#WWE #Raw #HBK #Undertaker #Rob Bartlett

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