Ilja Dragunov is just that good, he brings the intensity that WWE need more

@Matze22309

Ай бұрын

I cant agree more. Had see some Ilja bouts back in germany and he wasnt really different there. A machine like no other and his amazing selling was similar back then but you can see how he continues to develop further (similar to Gunther and Kaiser).

@Former_Employee

Ай бұрын

Uuuuuuuuuhhhh........ What ?

@igornascimm

Ай бұрын

For sure, wrestling wise he's one of the best under the WWE's umbrella. It elevates the product of RAW that they now have a Will Ospreay kind of guy.

@Nathan-oo2ik

Ай бұрын

@@igornascimmHAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

@igornascimm

Ай бұрын

@@Nathan-oo2ik I imagine the laughs come from some misguided tribalism you have. What I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt to have a guy like that on your roster. Someone that has charisma, is a believable striker and a exceptional high flyer.

Gunther vs Sheamus & Ilja Dragunov vs Ricochet . Both matches deserves Golden Up with their banger matches respectively

@razorramon7573

Ай бұрын

Oh shut up! Hardcore obsessed fans like you are why nobody watches wrestling!

The fact that the hottest feud going down right now involes 2 guys on the injured reserve list really speaks to how amazingly talented Punk and Drew are. What a great time to be a wrestling fan 👌👌

@Deathcatclub

Ай бұрын

Get punks nuts outta your mouth

@Deathcatclub

Ай бұрын

They must’ve deleted my comment… PUNK SUCKS! They’ll prolly delete this one too

@ois9

Ай бұрын

You walk around wearing a “title belt” don’t you?

Being there live was AWESOME! Dragunov and Ricochet got a standing ovation after their match (during commercial break I assume since the lights got turned down and a video played). Was a fun show!

@luckasneo2089

Ай бұрын

I swear, Ilja will be remembered as one of the GOATS in 10 years

@alankingsley2916

Ай бұрын

Agreed! There was some great stuff in the Ricochet match that (I guess) happened during the commercial break. It was a thrill to watch live!

Watching ricochet and Dragunov fights reminds me of Rob Van Damme and Jerry Lynn going at it. They had counters for counters, moves for moves, big spots and amazing jumps. When I watch those two guys and ECW, we would fight forever

@kevinstull8552

Ай бұрын

It's a real shame that Jerry Lynn didn't get the massive push in ECW that he deserved. He would have been a huge star and a heavyweight champion if ECW was able to stick around for a few years more.

@tomseville2345

Ай бұрын

@@kevinstull8552 He WAS ECW World Champion...for a MONTH toward the end of the company; he was used to transition it between (top heel) Justin Credible and new (intended) top babyface Steve Corino, before turning heel himself and joining Cyrus (Don Callis). He then jobbed to RVD (again) in what would have been a one-off return at GAC 2001, but it ended up being the last ECW PPV/televised show, so RVD leaving in late 2000 has been lost to time...

@kevinstull8552

Ай бұрын

@@tomseville2345 I completely forgot about that. I used to go over to my friend's place to watch wrestling, including ECW, and I vaguely remember these things happening. If Jerry Lynn had been kept on as the champion I'm sure he would have been one of the greats to hold onto the belt, but sadly it was just never meant to be.

@tompatchak8706

Ай бұрын

@@kevinstull8552 sadly that’s how memorable that title reign was

One note Simon: Liv earned the title shot last week after beating Nia. Becky does say to Liv "you interrupted me before I could get to you".

Gunther, Shemus, Ilja, and Ricochet are making the Men's King of the Ring exciting.

@matthewhostetter8974

Ай бұрын

They were both 2 PPV level matches on TV.

i would like to give an Up to the long shot they did between Drew leaving the arena and Punk entering, both as a wrestling nerd *and* a car nerd Drew leaves in a current day model Camaro, then Punk immediately enters in a second generation Z28 Camaro nice bit of continuity there!

@jenniferkovalick2959

Ай бұрын

I was hoping I wasn't the only one who noticed the Camaros! Is it just me or does the new Camaro not quite suit Drew?

So you mean to tell me that Raw has three monster wrestlers named Bron, Braun, and Bronson. That won't be confusing at all.

@Nathan-oo2ik

Ай бұрын

Only confusing to stupid people.

I love how Drew's story is getting screwed over by himself. Gloating at Punk at Mania cost him, he tells on himself and gets pulled. I love what's happening.

@matthewhostetter8974

Ай бұрын

The more Drew becomes unhinged the better the story gets.

Gunther and Sheamus is going to be one of the best pairings in all of WWE history. They have had multiple all time matches on PLE and have now main evented Raw and Smackdown.

Fun fact: Pat McAfee actually tweeted at Drew McIntyre live from ringside as the promo was happening

Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov was indeed the best tonight. However Sheamus vs. Gunther was not that far behind. Would've loved if these 2 clashed in a high profile match rather than a QF of a tournament.

Ricochet posted a video saying that he was frustrated about not being able to win when it counts. I and several other people replied, "Didn't you just win the WWE Speed Championship?" 🤷

@Doshanko

Ай бұрын

It's not a serious championship, he can't even appear on the main show with the belt, as talented as Ricochet is, the belt is a consolation prize, maybe Ricochet may make something of it, but the booking of it does the champ little favors other than being showcased after the airing of the main show

@HighHeelKnight

Ай бұрын

@@Doshanko When Triple H gained full creative control, WWE began to regularly acknowledge the accomplishments of superstars during their runs in NXT and other companies (besides AEW). It sucks that Hunter would authorize a new championship and Internet exclusive program, but ignore the effort on the main shows.

A hell of a night. While I'm curious on why both Drew and Asuka were removed from the tournament and the severity of their injuries, some of the booking makes sense. Jey became Drew's replacement and had a solid match with Balor. It's clear Drew is going to cost someone during this tournament with him being out. We also had a great Punk Promo. Natty and Iyo had a fun first-time-ever 1-on-1 match. We also learned Dakota would take over for Lyra, which makes sense. If you want to push Lyra you don't want to see Asuka lose in the first round. Ilja and Ricochet tore the house down. Ilja is a beast and people forget how good Ricochet really is. Zoey and Ivy were fine. Lyra shined in her match against Dakota, as Liv also continues to gets under Becky's skin. Finally, Gunther and Sheamus once again, had another BANGER AFTER ABNGER. If nothing else from last night watch the Ilja/Ricochet and Gunther/Sheamus matches.

It gives the house shows a purpose. Now the house shows aren't just thrown together matches, 1 or 2 matches actually mean something.

I agree with you Simon, Finn Balor deserves better. I know he and Damien Priest just had the tag team titles but Finn is a good wrestler.

This raw does not deserve that many downs. One of the best raws in a long time. I thought it was excellent. Especially the men’s king of the rings matches and the women’s weren’t bad either.

Jey Uso is soooo over😂😂 crowd live was yelling Yeet the whole show

“It was 3 on 2, why did yall leave?” Simon’s hilarious 🤣

Love that in his old age, Johnny Sins pivoted to wrestling punditry on KZread.

Ricochet needs a huge push, the man is a best bout machine

@Former_Employee

Ай бұрын

He's too small.

Ouch for Sheamus

@ebransc09

Ай бұрын

Should have tapped out during that commercial break where it looked like someone shot him in the chest with a shotgun

I remember years ago Seamus was commenting on a Walter vs Ilja match and mentioned that he would legitimately never allow Walter to slap him like that in a match....Ooooops.

I loved it when punk told pierce to hit his music 🎶

@wittvonwitt4403

Ай бұрын

That was such a power move!

The part where Simon paraphrased Lyra Valkyria calling Liv Morgan “A piece of trash” had me laughing. I had to rewatch that bit a few times. Simon’s body language with his delivery was perfect

I wish Simon would put these on his own channel and leave this dump of a channel behind, cause he’s the only thing worthwhile here, by a mile.

My friend was at the show and said after the glitch the whole stadium lights started to flicker and were hearing distorted voices we didn't on TV

@SAbercrombie610

Ай бұрын

There was also a QR code that flashed super quick when Drew was leaving....had to rewind and pause a few times to get it and it was basically an Uncle Howdy creepy teaser video. I typed this before I got to the part where he mentioned it in the video haha...oops

Simon as usual u get the GOLDEN UP

Lrya Valkeria looked impressive in her first RAW match.

@matthewhostetter8974

Ай бұрын

She did, I can also see why they switched up Asuka for Dakota to eat the pin. Now I would have loved to have seen Asuka vs Lyra but you don't want to see Asuka lose in the first round.

@zackhep

Ай бұрын

Shes is good her strikes look awesome

@michaelkeighley3922

Ай бұрын

The finish didn't look too good she only just manged to hit her finisher 😂

Hey Simon, you just brighten my day with the Ups and Downs❤

Never saw draganuv before but aftr the raw im a fan now.

@zackhep

Ай бұрын

It's crazy he will put on matches like this on a weekly basis!

Gunther is my pick to win the King Of The Ring. I can see him winning the tournament.

@tamzidmohsinkhan3333

Ай бұрын

Same . Also LA Knight

@Deathcatclub

Ай бұрын

Me too but I honestly hope not, I don’t want Gunther to have the “king” gimmick, kinda lame

@Doshanko

Ай бұрын

Yeah, I don't think Ilja will beat Gunther again so soon, they have to do a build up to Ilja beating him again

IIja Dragunov & Ricochet had one hell of a Match 🔥👊 Definitely Incredible and Sheamus & Gunther had a great match too, The King of the Ring is feeling like a Big Deal 👑

The segment with Bron makes me wonder if he's getting set up as Priest's next opponent. He's not in the KOTR tourney, the IC title already has its feud set up with Gable and Reed, and Breaker's not in a team to challenge Awesome Truth. There isn't anything else Pearce would need to negotiate other than the WHC, and a PLE match with a heavy-hitting call-up like Breakker could be perfect for turning Priest on the JD, or at least pushing him to the edge.

Met you before the Last Match in Burlington and it was a true pleasure. Loved the show! It was everything I hoped it would be :)

am i the only one that doesn't want to see gunther vs ilja ? I think a match of that magnitude needs a proper build and needs to be on PLE not national TV

@aldoesagood4862

Ай бұрын

That first half almost got me. I’ve never 180’d on a comment so fast! I absolutely agree that Ilja and Gunther should rock the house on a PLE. With how far they’ve come since their last match… Oh my gosh, the fireworks that would go off!

@theonlymatthew.l

Ай бұрын

U should watch their NXT UK stuff. Quite Awesome

Seems like a new beginning for the KOTR, Queen of the Ring…. Fire

Finn Balor used to be a champion now feels like a jobber, WWE needs to put some respect on his name

@Lance-wn9dc

Ай бұрын

​@@ChristineBrookinsBesides the break-up might help him

@ndinalongxangane6705

Ай бұрын

A jobber how when he was a tag team champ for like 6 months

Why fin does not use 1916, I Like That finisher of his specially he use it when he goes heel in nxt vs gargano. It's absolutely sick

Pretty good first showing for Lyra on the main roster. I would have preferred she get a full entrance for her debute, but I get that coming out to save Becky made for a bigger crowd reaction. I'm bummed we didn't get Lyra vs. Asuka, as that probably would have been a better match than what she got with Dakota, but she also may not have won that match, and I'd like to see her in the Raw women's finals against Iyo. I hope everything goes well for her on the main roster. Lyra has a ton of potential and room to develop that shouldn't go to waste.

Simon, just do Ups and Downs on your channel. I’m sure a lot of people would appreciate it

you know, I was thinking about the clock/time when becky arrived to the area.

$2K25 should have Simon Miller You deserve it Yeah 💯

Thanks for the review Simon ❤️

Simon, please never become old and bitter; the world needs your perpetual positivity… never run out of PP! 😅 The internet: “Oh they made a goof” Simon: happens to everyone, they made the most of it; still enjoyed their match ⬆️

Simon starts whispering at the end...🤣🤣 He just did a whole 24 minutes (at least) talking normally (as normal as *he* can)...

I wonder how Simon feels about being able to watch these weekly show live. I feel pretty lucky that I live here in the US. Props to all you guys that stay up late or get up super early.

The way sheamus's chest looked OMG definitely big man slapping man meat

Another great episode of Raw. There's going to be downs in every episode but I love that there seem to be less and less now.

@InfectiousGroovePodcast

Ай бұрын

Also, Dom's mustache is it's own heel character now.

thanks for the videos simon! i appreciate you and i hope ya have a good day…YOU GET A GOLDEN UP!!!!

Awesome segment.

Michael Cole is obsessed with women’s hats/headgear. Can’t wait to hear him saying Becky isn’t wearing the hat!!!

@KaitoKiara

Ай бұрын

Probably it's an inside joke, because Becky often said, she envies her husband for his colorful clothes.

A load of big names in the King of the Ring, although some of the matches and bracketing look odd. I originally thought Gunther was nailed on to win it, but then thought we’d get KING DREW going full Macbeth mental to set him up for Clash at the Castle, but obviously that’s not happening now!

@ronald-xs7sp

Ай бұрын

Obviously!

Uncle Trips killed the Wizard in the Sky. I miss him but it's for the best.

I would have preferred to see the Kingston / Mysterio match over Punk sitting around.

Thank you for the ups and downs, I watch Raw on Hulu and they only show an hour and a half of the show and end up cutting out at least 40 minutes of the show, so I have to go to KZread to try to piece together what I missed. Like I missed the R Truth promo, missed the entire Sami Zane, Bronson Reed, and Chad Gabel story (for some reason Hulu always seems to cut out Sami's stuff, this is like the 5th time in the last 2 months), the Gunther promo, the Lyra Valkeria video, and the Kofi promo. Also most of the entrances were cut out. I would have to disagree with the down for the KOTR matches on live events. I think HHH is trying to elevate all WWE events and this is an awesome way to do it. I'm sure WWE will post the match to their social media, and if they don't someone in the crowd will post it. I've been loving watching all the live events people post, the Euro tour right after WrestleMania had some awesome matches, I haven't checked for the live events yet from this past weekend, but I'm sure they are there and they are awesome.

Do you remember Liv Morgan vs Nia jax from raw before backlash? That was basically to decide no. 1 contender for world Championship liv won and that's she gets the shot at title now

Good wrestling matches on the show Gunther vs Sheamus 4.25/5 Ilja Dragunov vs Ricochet 4.5/5 Io Shirai vs Natalya 3.75/5

Totally agree Simon. P.s. Bring back "Collision" ups and downs" please.

Crowd was dead silent for Stark vs Nile.

@piscinaiv7937

Ай бұрын

that match was terrible

@aldoesagood4862

Ай бұрын

Yeah… Makes me sad because I really want Zoey to reach that next level, but something just ain’t clicking 😢

@thatnigerianbeauty

Ай бұрын

​@@aldoesagood4862 Right. I like Zoey and I think she is really talented. But she is bland. Something is not clicking as you rightly said.

@GLJosh

Ай бұрын

I recall that being closely after Rico/Ilja, crowd was recovering.

@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780

Ай бұрын

@@piscinaiv7937 agreed it was bad match

Damn great matches last night. I actually wanted another hour of raw... I can't believe I'm saying that!

That match between Sheamus & Gunther was awesome

@AliFrankTheTank

Ай бұрын

Banger after Banger after Banger

I need to know your opinion of OC Bullet Club vs Bloodline....too much to digest......

For me the thing that WWE has lacked pretty much since forever is rarely having matches on their weekly shows worth watching. It was all squash matches, 50-50 booking, and of course salome variation of the Usos, New Day, and Street Profits with whatever one-off tag team stable that would randomly get put together. Oh, ans the obligatory having whatever women's wrestler the company is pushing (to of course later be slaughtered by Charlotte) go over Natalia. But hopefully, that is now changing. Besides, if there is anyone on this earth who appreciates a lengthy wrestling match it's Triple 45 minute Mania Matches H. The lack of decent matches on weekly WWE shows is actually why I loved AEW so much for it's first couple years. Unfortunately, it's now almost a meme that all AEW has become is random one-off matches that are often very good but literally nothing comes from them so they all just become easily forgotten. Fortunately, WWE now has people in creative that don't actively despise the fans so it seems like we're now in a place where the matches on Raw and Smackdown actually matter and give you a reason to tune in for.

I found it weird that Ray Mysterio was not in Hartford..That match with Kofi would have went super over with the Hartford crowd.

Becky said to liv that she has never beaten her and becky already had promise a title match to liv , this segment was actually pretty decent , liv talked well becky put over the division , damage ctrl vs becky is coming, liv is more and more heelish , lyra and becky mentorship sort of ,

The best feud right now is Drew and Punk. Fingers crossed they're both fit enough for Clash At The Castle.

@jenniferkovalick2959

Ай бұрын

I was thinking the same thing! This definitely seems like a build to that. Can you imagine if Drew loses to Punk at CATC? His heel turn would escalate even further! I'm here for it!

@KaitoKiara

Ай бұрын

Nah, boring. I was looking for Drew vs Priest at CLASH AT THE CASTLE.

Not having the kofi vs Rey on tv is not cool

Dragunov got this 😂🔥🐐

We got 2 matches of the year contenders last night what a show 🔥🔥

Man being there live was awesome

I'm surprised how much time Ricochet and Dragunov had

it was a banger start to king of the ring.

18:52 because all we do is squash Damage Control now. Jade and Bianca and even Naomi can beat them 1 on 3, why would 2 on 3 be a problem?

I'd love to see Ilja vs Gunter in the finals but they are both on the raw brand in the same bracket so i'm not sure it's happening!! semin finals maybe??

Hey Simon. I try to watch all your UPS &DOWNS but I'm sure I missed some. Has there ever been an episode that had more DOWNS than UPS?

@spudgunn8695

Ай бұрын

It used to be a regular occurrence 2 or 3 years back when the senile old billionaire was micromanaging every episode into meaningless, disconnected twaddle!

@kimchi2780

Ай бұрын

Pretty much all of 2018-2020 Raw.

Good morning, Simon!

The KOTR final is supposed to be Raw vs Smackdown

@kingpinsmoke4207

Ай бұрын

King&Queen of the ring , Survivor Series and Bragging rights need to all be Brand warfare they need to bring em all back to normal

@skspawn

Ай бұрын

No, it isn't, it's never been that

@carlb5558

Ай бұрын

​@@skspawnThat was what the brackets showed last night. I agree it's never been explained that way before. But the actual finals were shown to be brand bracket winner vs the other.

SIMON IS THE BEST, SIMON NUMBER ONE 👏👏

Triple h must love triple threat matches bc I swear there’s been one of every ple for awhile but I’m not complaining they are good additions for the ple’s

Simon sheck out that backstage video with ricochet 😮!!!

More Simon Miller ASMR positive affirmation content please

11:55 Tornado Moscow? That gets a BROWN DOWN

@DracoDre

Ай бұрын

😂 I hope he sees this

What culture wrestling referencing the Kendrick Lamar v drake beef is something I did not expect to hear!!!😮😮😮🎉

You came to new England?

I am coming to see the last match musical rock wrestling experience tomorrow! WOO

I'm very interested in Jey vs Ilja

Iyo Sky is the best

It might be that Sheamus is being punished for his tweet/X post with the tapout loss; in his third televised match back, I would have assumed a pass-out loss at worst...

I would bet creative plans have shifted in the background for Jey because of how over he is

Simon my man 💪 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Drew vs Punk in a hell in the cell has to happen.

Ilya's H-bomb looks like it sucks to take, not that it is a negative I mean :)

I also want to see Gunther vs Ilja at King of the ring. I want Lyra Valkyria to win Queen of the ring. I want a rematch between Becky and Lyra at Clash at the castle.

I’m going to that live event in my town I’ll up and down it lol

Gunther should win the King of the Ring tournament

ricochet deserves his moment

Great video. Lots of downs though.

Great job as always, Simon! But, you're right. Gunther isn't from Boston. That's why it wasn't a Boston Crab. It was a single leg crab. Tsk tsk, Simon, you were a wrestler. 😂😂😂😂