re: WWE Monday Night Raw: Punk Returns Home

quote:

---

Nothing at all against Dustin but as a promotion when you choose between Dustin and Steve Austin you don't finish the sentence before choosing Dustin

All that said Dustin could be involved as well in a smaller way

The match is gonna be overbooked with so many involved but if they do it right it'll be glorious

---

If you're trying to promote the show, absolutely Austin is who you get. But if you're trying to tell the most complete story, the brother saving Cody would be poetic.

Hell, run Austin out first for the pop, but he's not enough and then give the follow up to Dustin.

My guess is we're most likely to get Jey (against Jimmy), Cena (against Solo), and Austin (against Rock) in some combo of participation - I just think Dustin's involvement tells the best story.

quote:

---

If you're trying to promote the show, absolutely Austin is who you get. But if you're trying to tell the most complete story, the brother saving Cody would be poetic.

---

I understand that and agree but remember they are in it to make money so the choice is Austin

I don't mean this aimed at you but it a lot of IWC members amaze me at how they forget that the entire point of all of this is to make money

Imagine if Triple H didn’t have IRL health issues and could be involved in all of this

quote:

---

Youtube/Instagram/TikTok views? It would solely be for eyeballs and maybe to get people to tune in to RAW

---

This is no small thing in the current day and time

And it's for the same reasons they've always done stuff like that. It drives interest. Interest eventually leads to money one way or the other

quote:

---

Rocky is going to pin Cody on night 1 and on night 2, tBloodline will be beating the brakes off Cody when we hear the most epic glass shatter since Backlash 2000 imo

---

Cool throwback fact. During the 2015 Extreme Rules PPV in Chicago that was where they filmed Ambrose and Harper driving out of the arena (for their Chicago street fight.) Another cool tie tonight to that event. The New Day won their first tag title at that event from Cesaro and Tyson Kidd.

I thought we were gonna get Roman tonight, especially when they announced Rock for next week. I guess they figured there was no need to announce him (for ticket sales) and the surprise reaction was more valuable.

Not posting this to dunk on AFW but this is pretty dang impressive regardless of which company it was. (Most tickets were sold before the Rumble/Punk's injury.)

quote:

---

This is no small thing in the current day and time

And it's for the same reasons they've always done stuff like that. It drives interest. Interest eventually leads to money one way or the other

---

I don't disagree. However, WWE is in a unique spot. Their events are selling out without matches being announced. They tour much less than they used to and have found a way to increase profitability to levels never reached before. They have the Netflix and Saudi money guaranteed for the immediate future.

Stone Cold coming back does get eye balls for the clip and probably leads to a huge rating the next night...but they're going to get a huge rating the next night no matter what (and it's not like Stone Cold hasn't returned many times before, including having an impromptu main event match as recently as two years ago).

I think that having a member of the AEW roster show up and participate in the main event has a similar effect primarily because that's the one line that has never been crossed. At a time when the industry as a whole is doing well, even the hint of working agreement between AEW will increase that buzz.

And please don't get me wrong, when the glass shatters on night two, I'm going to lose my mind and the crowd cheering will be amazing. I just think that if the whole point of the narrative is "Cody Rhodes finishes his story", Dustin's participation is the perfect end note. From the Rhodes Brothers (with Dusty) beating the Shield, to Cody/Dustin at the beginning of AEW, to the entire family aspect of the Bloodline. That's the way the story should end.