Hey yo. Welcome to yet another edition of my own corner at TBL, News & Analysis. Thank you very much for stopping by, and as usual, all feedback (positive or negative) is appreciated — eddie@thebalrogslair.com.
WWE presented Monday Night RAW this past Monday night on SpikeTV. The feedback for the program has been mostly positive on the ‘net from what I’ve read so far. I personally enjoyed the show myself. I thought that it was the best one they’ve put up on Monday night in a while. It had everything you could ask for really — some good wrestling alongside storyline progression. Man, I’ve said that before, but it’s not hard to get viewers to tune in when you present your product right. Remember… “Build it and he’ll come.”
I don’t have the RAW rating as I’m typing this (and it’s Wednesday), so you’re going to have to check with the ever-so-popular TBL Headlines Board. At any rate, let’s move on to the show itself…
I really liked that it was Batista who got the push and not Big Kev. For weeks now, the word was that Kevin Nash will be the man to take Goldberg out and collect the bounty. Well, that didn’t happen, obviously due to Nash’s current troubles with a neck injury. So WWE went ahead and put Batista back into the mix with Evolution. The former plan was actually for Batista to return as a face at first, and feud with the stable. I definitely think that at this point in time, his place is with Evolution. Putting him over Goldberg is a pretty big move, as well.
Speaking of Goldberg, where does that leave the World Heavyweight Champion? Sources are reporting that Big Bill was very upset the whole day this past Monday. Some wrestlers are even quoted as saying that he was pretty “pissed.” Goldberg is very protective over his character and storylines, as most of you probably know, and he was definitely not happy with the booking on RAW. Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross event went on to say that Batista is “much bigger” than Goldberg, which couldn’t have made him happier. At any rate, I believe the current plan is for Big Bill to sell his “foot injury” and following that he’ll go on to face Triple H at Survivor Series in a rematch from Unforgiven. It’s expected for him to beat The Game again, as Hunter will then take some time off to finally start filming a film of his own. Remember that the ultimate plan on RAW is for Randy Orton to win the World Championship sooner or later. Last I checked he was supposed to break away from Evolution and join up with youngsters like Maven (and now probably Batista) to form a stable of his own. Take this for what it’s worth.
Whether you like his new storyline or hate it, you have to admit that Glenn Jacobs is not only trying his best to portray Kane as a monster, but he’s doing a good job of it when it comes to mic work. I really enjoyed the promo on RAW, and even though this whole feud with Shane isn’t exactly that good, they did a good job of building up a match between the two at Survivor Series. I also liked that after having Shane take plenty of air time last week, they kept his appearance on TV down to 10 seconds. I don’t mean to sound like a smartass, but how come you never hear the “Internet analysts” mention things like that? They’re the first to diss the McMahons when they’re on TV too long, after all. (As is the case with SmackDown)
Like I mentioned last week, I’m really happy that they teamed up Lance Storm with Rob Van Dam. That could be a hell of a team! Storm has been given the opportunity to showcase his talent, and I think that he’s definitely done so in the past two weeks, when he’s gotten to wrestle people who are right on his level. Now it’s up to WWE to continue to push him and we’ll see what happens this time around.
Speaking of Van Dam and Storm, I am thinking they will be a part of Steve Austin’s team for the Survivor Series match that will determine Austin’s “future.” First off, like many others, I’m really glad that they’re going to do a Survivor match . It’s the match that made the PPV unique and has given it a special feeling over the years. They’re also trying to add some importance to the thing, as it’s not thrown out there on the card. They have guys like Jericho, and possibly the IC Champion (RVD), fighting in it. Plus the whole Austin deal adds more to it. It’s definitely something I’ll look forward to. I hope we won’t be let down.
I absolutely love the Jericho/Trish & Christian/Lita storyline. It’s not that it’s that brilliant of writing or anything of that nature. They’ve teased a Jericho face turn several times now, so this is nothing new on that front. However, the whole “confusion” around Jericho and Christian’s actions is entertaining to me. WWE didn’t just go ahead and finish this up in a week, but they rather kept the suspense on RAW, and even added more to it when it comes to Jericho and Trish in that segment between the two backstage. I really am wondering where this one could go. Let me know what you think by e-mailing me.
It was very classy by WWE to honor both Hawk and Stu Hart on RAW. I always like it when the company does touching tributes like that, whether it’s to honor the passing of a wrestling legend, or to honor one. They just are really good with those things! On behalf of the TBL Staff, I extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Stu Hart and Hawk. Stu Hart is without a shadow of a doubt one of the key figures in the progress of professional wrestling, and will always be remembered as one of the men who revolutionized the sport. And speaking of revolutionizing professional wrestling, the contributions of Hawk, and the Road Warriors as a tag team, must be mentioned as well. These guys defined tag team wrestling and brought a new style that didn’t take the fans too long to catch up with. Both legends deserved to be honored after their sad passing, and WWE did a tremendous job on RAW. Big up to Bubba Ray and D-Von as well.
The Survivor Series PPV is already taking shape. I’ll post some matches below, some of which are already confirmed, and others have been rumored to take place. This is a first take at Survivor Series, so please take this for what it’s worth. DON’T READ BELOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANY POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
* Bill Goldberg ( c ) vs. Triple H — World Heavyweight Championship
* Austin’s Team (RVD? Storm?) vs. Bischoff’s Team (Chris Jericho, Scott Steiner, ?) — 10 Men Survivor match
* Shane McMahon vs. Kane — Stipulation to be Added
* Booker T vs. Randy Orton
* Vince McMahon vs. The Undertaker — Buried Alive match
* Kurt Angle vs. John Cena
In other news, the huge TNA PPV Extravaganza — Bound for Glory — previously booked for November 30 with Hulk Hogan fighting Jeff Jarrett in the main event. The reason being is that Hogan recently injured himself in Japan when he worked a match against Masahiro Chono. This is a huge letdown for both TNA, its fans, and the fans of Hulk Hogan. However, I have the feeling that sooner or later Hogan and TNA will come together eventually. Let’s see if my gut feeling is right. Of course, I’m the “WWE guy” around here. If you need more information on TNA, or you are interested in the latest rumors and news surrounding the promotion, you must head to Trevor Hunnicutt’s Headlines & Scrutiny section of our site, where you’ll find all the TNA info you need!
Thanks for reading. See ya.
Eddie
