RAW COVERAGE
The 7/12 espisode of RAW was a good show. They followed up well on Vengeance by providing solid storylines in most cases, and the in-ring work was on a good level.
Evolution opened the show as their leader, and God of wrestling, Triple H was backstage walking back and forth. Everyone wanted a piece of Eugene for different reasons, with Flair complaining he had to tag with him, Orton saying he cost him the IC belt by booking him in a match last week, and Batista providing the comedy by saying he had to take him to Chuck E. Cheese all these times. Zeus… er… Triple H then said that nobody does anything, and they just follow his lead. Eugene comes in and he’s worried they’re all mad at him. The Game assures him it’s all good but Uncle Eric, who has another month left with the company before he’s released, is very mad at him, and Eugene should go talk to him. This was a good opening. Orton was hilarious doing facial expressions and reacting to Triple H’s words. Batista’s “Chuck E. Cheese” line was also great. I was a bit worried when I saw that segment, because I thought they will continue with the whole “friendship” deal. Thank God they didn’t by end’s night.
J.R. and the King welcome us to RAW, preditcing it will be an action-packed show. I think they said that the night Triple H had his way with Katie Vick as well.
Edge and Batista had a pretty long match to open the program. This was a bit slow at times, but the pace picked up eventually. Batista had the offense most of the times, and it was obvious he was shouting “Who’s the man?” and “I’m the man” to the audience, not being able to come up with anything else. Batista avoided the spear. Edge hit a missile drop kick, and then missed on another spear, avoided by Batista. Edge rolled him up for the pin, and put his feet on the ropes to use them as balance. Orton came out during the match but was ejected by Hebner. This match was above average, and it was good to see Batista back to normal. He had a bad night at the PPV, that’s for sure! Edge carried the match well, and overall it was done well. It was a good start to RAW.
Uncle Eric made it clear to a very worried Eugene that he’s “mad as hell,” but not with his newphew, but with how he’s blamed for everything. Bischoff said that he now tinks there is a place in this business for Eugene, and is even giving him a title shot tonight! This is where I repeat that the latest word is Bischoff will be done with the company within a month, or so. His contract expires sometime in August I believe, and the rumor goinga round is that WWE will not resign with him. The segment was done well.
Jerry Lawler introduced us to Candace Michelle, one of the three divas from the Diva Search that got an opportunity to be on RAW. Apparently, Candace who probably gets called “Cans” by her fans having in mind her outfit, was in the movie Dodgeball, and can touch her nose with the tip of her tongue. Can’t we all? This was cheesy, and bad. The Diva Search hasn’t done much for WWE.
Todd Grisham was backstage interviewing Ric Flair. Flair started cutting a promo on Eugene and his book, when Hurricane came over and wanted a signature. Flair told him he’s a joke, when Hurricane started bashing his book and comparing it to Rock’s, Hogan’s, Chyna‘s, and Foley’s. Somewhere in Canada, Bret Hart was cracking up to an orgasmic joy. Hurricane gets a punch for his trouble and a match against the legend later in the night. This segment was done well, and it did a good job of having Hurricane on RAW, although just to job him out later in the evening. Flair is still quite the entertainer.
Rhyno beat Rob Conway in a quick match, with Tajiri and Grenier at ringside. This was a solid bout, and it helped set up the feud between the two guys. Hopefully, they won’t hurry up with a tag match, but they’ll do Tajiri vs. Grenier next week. Good job by all men involved.
Tyson Tomko with Trish Stratus defeated Maven with Nidia. Trish looked extremely skinny, but it was probably due to the fact that she was standing up next to the fridge that is Tyson Tomko. Tomko dominated most of it, but Maven did a comeback. It eventually ended with another high kick win for Tomko. It was good to see them team Nidia and Maven up. It was about time that happened, and since both of them need some sort of a jump start on RAW, this might be it. Maven still has a lot of potential in him, and he needs the airtime and experience to continue improving. Tomko is still green, but hopefully somewhere down the line, he will learn. Batista was the same case, but he did improve eventually.
Regal met up with Benoit backstage and asked him not to hurt Eugene tonight. Benoit told him he will do whatever it takes to defend his title, and he will let Eugene know that ahead of time. It was good to see Regal back into this storyline again. I felt it was a bit weird that they just left him apart of it without any further explanation. Benoit did what any champion would do.
The Highlight Reel was next. Jericho was hilarious here, from saying Music Chairs was the best thing for his career ever, to challenging Kane. Lita delivered what should be considered one of her best promos, and the Kane/Lita/Matt storyline finally took a turn for the good, although it will end up being a U-turn probably, next week. Overall, I thought this segment was good. It led into a Jericho vs. Kane match that didn’t go so well. Jericho beat Kane via DQ after about seven minutes. Kane chokeslammed both the referee and Jericho to end this segment. I thought it was overall well done. Jericho’s irony in his promo was tremendous. At times, you had to wonder if it was a shoot where he was complaining or real. Hilarious stuff. This is why I wanted Jericho to turn face all along. I hope that they put him into a bigger feud soon. He really deserves the spot, and he’s hot right now. Lita did well as well. No matter how crappy her storyline is, she delivered her promo well, and she finally managed to show some feelings and emotions. I give her credit for that.
Nina Hardin from the Diva Search was next. Yeah.
Flair defeated Hurricane in an OK match. His ear started bleeding in the middle of it all. Nothing much else to note. Typical Flair match. He got the Figure Four Leg Lock in and Hurricane submitted. This was OK for what it was. They’re triving to give Flair more TV time and “perks” like these so to speak in order for him to get his book over. It was good to see Hurricane on RAW again. I hope he’ll be used more in the future.
Carmella DiCesare was the next diva and she wants to work for Vince McMahon. Just like Lawler said, don’t we all? She does a lame joke about puppies, and Lawler realizes he’s fifteen again.
Backstage, Benoit talked with Eugene and he told him the same thing he told Regal. This segment was good.
Benoit and Eugene wrestled to a good main event for about eight minutes. From there on, it wasn’t good. Triple H and Evolution walked down and destroyed them both. No contest as the official ending. Evolution took care of Benoit, when Regal came out. They took care of him as well. Pedigree to Benoit, who was thrown outside the ring. The real assault on Eugene then began. Dinsmore bladed, and the show ended with a shot of him against the ropes in blood, where he looked a lot like Mick Foley. This was done well, but I didn’t like the fact that Benoit was once again left behind. Overall, good ending though.
LATEST NEWS
The war between Bret Hart and Ric Flair continues. If you’re unsure of what has been going on, here’s a short version of it. It all dates back to the 90s, when Flair used to take a shot or two at Flair in his Calgary Sun columns, basically saying that Ric isn’t what he considers himself to be, and he’s more hype than talent, having created an image for himself and having had people believe him for it. Flair, now having the opportunity to get back at Hart, did so in his book, making some very controversial statements towards Hart. Hart has now responded with a very mad letter, that I think everone should read. You can view that at Bret’s site, here — http://www.brethart.com/comments.asp.
Goldberg, Kevin Nash, and their new best friend — Steve Austin — have all signed to be a part in the next Adam Sandler moviek, a remake of “The Longest Yard.” Nelly, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds are among the other names who will be in the flick. There’s an interview with Sandler on MTV.com, which you can check out here — http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1489358/07122004/story.jhtml.
Hulk Hogan won’t be the only wrestler appearing on VH1’s “I love the 90’s” show this week, as Chris Jericho will also be appearing on the program. Check your local listings for more information.
VENGEANCE THOUGHTS
Hey folks! I’ve been spending a lot of time working on Inside the Ring Newsletter, the newsletter myself and Trevor Hunnicutt prepare here at TBL. If you haven’t subscribed yet, make sure to do so HERE. We provide you with Roundtable on every TV Show that include our full analysis of the programs! Here’s an example, and as an exclusive the Vengeance Roundtable we did last night! You can get that coverage only when you subscribe! Take a look:
WWE VENGEANCE ROUNDTABLE
1) Tajiri and Rhyno over Coach and Garrison Cade in 7:29. Finish saw Cade receive the green mist from Tajiri and Coach hit Tajiri from behind. Rhyno gave Cade a gore as Coach got out of the way. Cade rolled out of the ring and Coach received a high kick from Tajiri.
One of many segments from the back featuring Evolution. They had more questions about why Eugene was in the group, so it must still be hurting their gimmick. Hunter was about to explain until he wondered where Eugene was and went to look for him. He eavesdropped on Benoit talking to Eugene. Nothing new.
Trevor: The proliferation of backstage segments made this show seem like an odd extension of RAW. Except I paid for this—dearly. The Tajiri match was good enough and demonstrated Tajiri’s ability to work in a variety of in-ring situations and make them somewhat redeemable. As far as workers go, that’s tantamount to experience. If Tajiri is going to be used this low on the card, putting him with workers who need the help on the house show tour will really help out a lot. Rhyno was being built up as a mystery character and since he’s not a strong character on RAW, it was disappointing. We’ll see where they go with Coach and Cade in the future, I think they have potential as a duo.
Eddie: I’m glad they added this match to the PPV only because Tajiri was in it. The Japanese Buzzsaw tends to have good matches, and is a great worker. I like the idea of reforming the ECW team of Tajiri and Rhyno, and I’ve been saying for a while the plan is for them to capture the tag titles, or at least work a program in that area of the show. That’s a good decision because both men can get involved on RAW that way. I would rather have Tajiri fight for the tag belts, than feud with Coach. Speaking of whom, Coach has done great in his role, but his in-ring presence needs to be kept to a minimum. Cade needs to be established more, and he needs the proper TV time.
2) Batista over Chris Jericho in 12:19. Finish was Batista hitting a lot of power moves and the ref missing Jericho with his feet on the ropes and Batista stealing the win. Bad PPV match. After the match, Eugene came back into the Evolution locker room pouting. Hunter asked what was wrong. Eugene told H about the conversation with Flair and H cut the same promo about not believing Benoit’s lies. They gave him one of Ric Flair’s robes to wear, which made him happy. Flair wasn’t amused.
Trevor: This was a disappointing match, and since Batista can’t even have a good match with Jericho on PPV, I think people should forget about Kane/Batista in the same position. Jericho needs a good program right now, if they plan on eventually using him the way the crowd reaction in Winnipeg directed them to.
Eddie: Not good. Batista didn’t look good here at all, which is a shame because he has been improving recently on RAW. I think they booked the match bad, as they put Batista as the “leader” having him be the monster that’s on the attack the whole time. That doesn’t tend to work. I called this one in the predictions, and man do they like to rip Jericho off when it comes to PPV?
3) La Resistance over Eugene and Ric Flair in a match for the World Tag Team Titles in 12:28 via DQ. Eugene was in first but tagged out and Flair was in for most of the rest of the match selling. When Conway cheap shotted Eugene, he went crazy and eventually was DQed for knocking the ref down. He did the stunner, rock bottom, and people’s elbow spots.
Trevor: La Resistance could also use a good program. For the last two PPVs, their matches have been used a tertiary elements of other feuds and overtime it will decrease their impact as a team. RAW needs to focus more on introducing new tag teams and characters on TV (in my opinion, one of their biggest failures over the past few weeks) before this becomes the equivalent to the Dudleyz and their former Smackdown tag belts.
Eddie: The tag team division is all but dead, as La Resistance is forced to defend against singles competitors who tag from time to time. The addition of Rhyno and Tajiri to the division will hopefully help. I don’t understand why they don’t get Hurricane and Rosey involved. They’ve been a team for a very long time. Eugene doing Flair’s mannerisms was fun, and this match was good, but by the time it ended it was obvious that they’re steadily building up the quality of the matches as the card went.
4) Matt Hardy over Kane in a no DQ match in 10:29. Better hardcore brawl style match than it had a right to be. Lita came in for the finish and Kane had to decide whether to hit her or not. Unfortunately, he didn’t. This allowed a distraction for Hardy to hit the steps into Kane and get the pin. Backstage, Hardy implored Lita to stay away from the ring and him too. No one likes Lita these days. It’s not her fault she got stuck with this program.
Trevor: This worked very well. Conceptually, as we all know, this feud is horrendous.
Eddie: I was surprised by the good quality of this match. Matt gave it all he had and having in mind the bad condition his knee is in, I really appreciate his effort. That’s Kane’s second consecutive good match on PPV. The storyline, however, needs to change, or end… NOW. I don’t understand why they gave Hardy the win. It was good that they did, but it doesn’t mean much. It would have meant a lot more in a rematch at SummerSlam.
5) Edge defeated Randy Orton to win the Intercontinental Championship in 26:36. A lot of support for Orton. Pretty good match with a very climactic end. This is Edge’s best since returning and probably Orton’s best ever. Diva Search casting special next Thursday after Smackdown, on SpikeTV. The judges are Triple H, Orton, Jericho, and Edge. What qualifications do they have for this?
Trevor: Very good match. My main complaint would be all the stalling which made for a boring match at times, but they were told to fill 25 minutes, and did so ably. Randy Orton’s improvement is what struck me the most. Experience really does pay off when you give a guy with even a little potential and put him in situations in which he can learn and grow. Orton has been in the ring with the best of them for months now, and it’s paid off. He more than held his own with the younger, and less established of a worker in Edge. Edge has worked the ring rust off, which is a helpful improvement. The drawing power of the Diva Search will be tested next Thursday, but if it does a better rating than the poorly rated Eddie Guerrero special, I will be very disappointed in wrestling fans.
Eddie: Congratulations to Randy Orton. No, not because he lost his belt, but because he showed last night that he’s the next big thing, pun intended Brock. Orton’s improvement inside the ring has been noticeable, as he’s beocme a strategist, and can now work a wrestling match. It’s amazing what this guy has done since feuding with Foley. Tremendous. This was easily the best match of the evening. Edge looked well, too, but I don’t buy into his push yet. I have to see how it goes from here. Overall, good job by both men, and a great match.
6) Victoria over Molly Holly for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Champion. Match was forgettable but they might have rushed the finish due to Victoria’s arm possibly being pulled out of joint. If it’s anything serious, we’ll keep you updated here.
Trevor: They did the best they could and the match was pretty good.
Eddie: Oh man, I feel bad they weren’t given the appropriate response that they deserved. This match was tremendous, and Victoria did a great job of selling Molly’s attack. However, having seen Edge vs. Orton and anticipating the main event wore the audience out, and they just didn’t care for this. I did though. Good bout.
7) Chris Benoit over Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in 29:03. Match of the night but with serious competition from the Edge/Orton match earlier. Eugene came in during a ref bump when Triple H tapped out to Benoit. In a surprise, as Eugene tried to get in the ring, Benoit knocked him out. Hunter gave Benoit a low blow and then a pedigree, followed by a near-fall. Eugene got a chair on Triple H’s request. Eugene didn’t want to give it to him. Hunter then shoved Eugene and took the chair, saying “Do what I tell you, you son of a bitch.” What a heel. Benoit took him down. Batista and Flair ran in and both got hit in the head by Benoit with a chair. Eugene grabbed the chair and thought about hitting both. He put the chair down. Benoit tried to grab the chair back and they fought over it. When has there ever been this much demand for a cheap steal folding chair? Eugene accidentally ended up hitting Hunter with the chair costing him the win as Benoit got the pin. Eugene was sad and Triple H was mad, and JR got Glad, drawing Vengeance to a close.
Trevor: Very good match, as expected. The Eugene stuff towards the end was interesting, but the days of angles at the end of PPVs has long past, and it’s hard to know exactly how fans will respond to it in the long term. They haven’t hit a home run with Eugene, but it isn’t bad… all the time.
Eddie: Tremendous main event. It just made this PPV look like a solid show, and a good effort. The main event made Vengeance the best out of the three PPVs they’ve tried in the past six weeks. Benoit and H worked well, however, the ending wasn’t good. Eugene was once again overexposed. I do have to admit though, they were creative with how they did it, and they deserve credit for that. Let’s see what happens from here on..
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