RAF card 1 predictions for this weekend

[LemonPie]

13 minutes ago, Hammerlock3 said:

he was doing your world building!!

Build on this, bud!

[BruceyB]

Hildebrandt ain't got nothing on Wyatt's cheeks. 

[LemonPie]

4 out of 10, will not re-sub

[Hammerlock3]

4 minutes ago, LemonPie said:

4 out of 10, will not re-sub

maybe wait on the card hot rod

[BruceyB]

I am very curious to see the interest from other domestic guys in the future. I also have no idea if the relatively small wrestling fan base is enough viewership to make this format sustainable, but if I were Mendez, Blaze, or anyone else high on the ladder, it would be hard to not take a paycheck to wrestle one match and snag a "belt" at the same time. I'm more optimistic than I expected coming out of this event. I happened to have nothing to do tonight, otherwise I wouldn't have watched. I'll be curious what the numbers say.

[Hammerlock3]

10 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

I am very curious to see the interest from other domestic guys in the future. I also have no idea if the relatively small wrestling fan base is enough viewership to make this format sustainable, but if I were Mendez, Blaze, or anyone else high on the ladder, it would be hard to not take a paycheck to wrestle one match and snag a "belt" at the same time. I'm more optimistic than I expected coming out of this event. I happened to have nothing to do tonight, otherwise I wouldn't have watched. I'll be curious what the numbers say.

its just a matter of how much money it makes. the paycheck has to justifying screwing up a training cycle, and I think there is a reason i'd never heard of Hendrickson's tiny opponent, they wanted him and the only way to get him was for the match to be a joke. Between the weight cut, travel, mini peak, I really think it messes up these guys schedules for like 10 days. 

The most daunting thing for RAF is that it might need to usurp America's interest in UWW to be successful. 

[headshuck]

I wonder if the Pico and Storley type of guys that didn’t achieve their NCAA goals but are in top condition might give RAF a look?

[1032004]

30 minutes ago, Hammerlock3 said:

its just a matter of how much money it makes. the paycheck has to justifying screwing up a training cycle, and I think there is a reason i'd never heard of Hendrickson's tiny opponent, they wanted him and the only way to get him was for the match to be a joke. Between the weight cut, travel, mini peak, I really think it messes up these guys schedules for like 10 days. 

The most daunting thing for RAF is that it might need to usurp America's interest in UWW to be successful. 

I was surprised they made Hendrickson the main event against some guy most Americans had never heard of.  

They had to have paid these guys a lot of money, I don’t see how it could have been close to profitable.  Fox Nation might get some new subscribers that forget to cancel out of it though.

[Threadkilla]

Bubba did ok on the mix. Tito is still one of the biggest morons in sports.  Crazy he's a city council member somewhere in CA.  

I felt bad for the Mexican gal,  the only winner that didn't get a belt and she didn't have a translator.  When they finally got one, Chael asked her about Holly Holm.   Poor gal.  

[1032004]

9 hours ago, headshuck said:

Steveson will join RAF next year to challenge Wyatt.

Looks like it’s Mason Parris instead 

[1032004]

7 hours ago, Threadkilla said:

Bubba did ok on the mix. Tito is still one of the biggest morons in sports.  Crazy he's a city council member somewhere in CA.  

I felt bad for the Mexican gal,  the only winner that didn't get a belt and she didn't have a translator.  When they finally got one, Chael asked her about Holly Holm.   Poor gal.  

Jenkins was kinda awful IMO, but overall I thought it was a good production.

Gomez didn’t get a belt either.  They gave one to Yianni though even his and Gomez’s matches were at the same weight

[forkemaz]

To me it seemed like a worse version of something we already have. The only positive change they made was simplifying criteria. They basically took all the obnoxious things about mma production and layered it onto freestyle with random match ups and gave away championship belts to one off matches. The border of the circle was so a poor color choice and so it was hard to see when there was a step out. 

 

I think they should have focused on one weight and done a mini tournament culminating in the crowning of the first RAF champion. It would have felt more meaningful. Then next time you can do a different weight and have matches we didnt get from the previous weight or even have your champion defend as a main event. 

It felt like there wasnt thought put into it at all.

[Truzzcat]

10 hours ago, BruceyB said:

I am very curious to see the interest from other domestic guys in the future. I also have no idea if the relatively small wrestling fan base is enough viewership to make this format sustainable, but if I were Mendez, Blaze, or anyone else high on the ladder, it would be hard to not take a paycheck to wrestle one match and snag a "belt" at the same time. I'm more optimistic than I expected coming out of this event. I happened to have nothing to do tonight, otherwise I wouldn't have watched. I'll be curious what the numbers say.

it sounds like getting college athletes is a bit of a hangup right now. I wonder if the guys committed but not enrolled can compete though like Jax,Bo etc..

[Ragu]

Would love to see more guys that are american but wrestle elsewhere

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

41 minutes ago, Truzzcat said:

it sounds like getting college athletes is a bit of a hangup right now. I wonder if the guys committed but not enrolled can compete though like Jax,Bo etc..

The fact that Jax and Bo are in high school could be an issue...

[Truzzcat]

31 minutes ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

The fact that Jax and Bo are in high school could be an issue...

they may do it for no monetary incentive which I would imagine is the biggest hiccup.

[Truzzcat]

It would be cool if the PWL had belts and we could get cross over champ v champ matches. I do not think the PWL has champions though. Making the belts international I think will hold a lot more weight though.

[BarSeries]

Enjoyed. More entertaining and flowed better than I thought it would for the first one.

Holly Holm walking out was bonkers. 
Wick/Nolf was a great match.

Tito was obnoxious. 

Bubba did Ok.

I wonder when RAF 02 is?

[nickp91]

Holly Holm can now add freestyle wrestler to her resume! 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

2 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

they may do it for no monetary incentive which I would imagine is the biggest hiccup.

Almost certainly wouldn't be able to do it during high school season either.

[BruceyB]

3 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

they may do it for no monetary incentive which I would imagine is the biggest hiccup.

I think the hiccup is signing a professional contract, which even without pay may be an issue. The thinnest veil of amateurism apparently still exists.

[BruceyB]

15 hours ago, Hammerlock3 said:

Between the weight cut, travel, mini peak, I really think it messes up these guys schedules for like 10 days. 

We really need to stop the narrative with how "hard" it is to for these senior level guys to compete. They make scratch weight like 3 times between April and September and half of them don't compete more than a couple of other times during the other 7 months out of the year. IMO guys don't compete more because the travel to most overseas tournaments is pretty brutal if you coming from the Americas which likely makes guys not want to do it more than once or twice a year, and also you had the stalwarts of USA wrestling winning gold medals by using the minimal competition method. 

Personally, I can't imagine just practicing every day and only getting to actually compete 2 or 3 times a year. I'd think having a one-off match would be more invigorating for a world teamers training than disruptive.

[Truzzcat]

7 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

We really need to stop the narrative with how "hard" it is to for these senior level guys to compete. They make scratch weight like 3 times between April and September and half of them don't compete more than a couple of other times during the other 7 months out of the year. IMO guys don't compete more because the travel to most overseas tournaments is pretty brutal if you coming from the Americas which likely makes guys not want to do it more than once or twice a year, and also you had the stalwarts of USA wrestling winning gold medals by using the minimal competition method. 

Personally, I can't imagine just practicing every day and only getting to actually compete 2 or 3 times a year. I'd think having a one-off match would be more invigorating for a world teamers training than disruptive.

there are MMA guys that fight 3-4 times a year if not more and will take short notice fights or have guys pull out that essentially invalidates a 8 week camp, not to mention most of them are cutting 25-40lbs during camp. I think these guys can definitely show up a few extra times per year to slightly inflated weight classes that have night before weigh ins.

[Hammerlock3]

9 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

We really need to stop the narrative with how "hard" it is to for these senior level guys to compete. They make scratch weight like 3 times between April and September and half of them don't compete more than a couple of other times during the other 7 months out of the year. IMO guys don't compete more because the travel to most overseas tournaments is pretty brutal if you coming from the Americas which likely makes guys not want to do it more than once or twice a year, and also you had the stalwarts of USA wrestling winning gold medals by using the minimal competition method. 

Personally, I can't imagine just practicing every day and only getting to actually compete 2 or 3 times a year. I'd think having a one-off match would be more invigorating for a world teamers training than disruptive.

you can't make a statement like that without knowing how much they are being paid.

Apparently you think they just fetch for our amusement. 

[shiraz321]

15 hours ago, 1032004 said:

I was surprised they made Hendrickson the main event against some guy most Americans had never heard of.  

They had to have paid these guys a lot of money, I don’t see how it could have been close to profitable.  Fox Nation might get some new subscribers that forget to cancel out of it though.

I don't think even the most hardcore international fans have any idea who that dude is. 

Edited 23 hours ago by shiraz321