You can check out the RAW analysis we did for the Inside the Ring Newsletter. We provide weekly analysis of RAW and SmackDown in the Roundtable format below. There were some interesting news stories today, that I’ve provided for you after the Roundtable. Enjoy our SummerSlam Coverage.
RAW ROUNDTABLE
The RAW Report we’re using this week comes from PWI’s Tim Whitehead.
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler opened the show by announcing the night’s line-up. This included a contract signing for the Kane vs. Matt Hardy match (scheduled for SummerSlam), an Edge vs. Chris Jericho match, and a Chris Benoit & Eugene vs. Triple H & Randy Orton bout as the TV main event.
Jonathan Coachman was in the ring with the eight Diva contenders. He was about to open the envelope to announce which Diva got voted off, but he was interrupted by Randy Orton. Orton insisted on reading the name of the unfortunate babe who got the fewest votes, and it was Chandra. Orton made fun of her as a loser and told her to hit the road. He even told her she wouldn’t be able to buy her sister that car she had promised. As she left up the ramp, he accused her of hiding her emotions (since she was smiling) and compared her to Benoit. It seems pretty evident that they want some sort of controversy to come out of this Diva thing and are hoping for one of the losing contestants to throw a tantrum or something, hence the ridicule here. Orton pledged that at SummerSlam, Benoit will be a loser and will leave the arena in defeat just like Chandra, having seen his dreams go up in smoke. Claiming that history repeats itself, Orton had video aired of the closing moments from last week’s six-man match, where Orton pinned Benoit. Orton said it’s his destiny to become the youngest world heavyweight champion ever at age 24. He told the crowd that most of them at that age were just starting to pay off their student loans or were finally moving out of their parents’ house. Just as Orton bragged that no one can stop his date with destiny, Benoit came out. In response to the video Orton had aired, Benoit asked for footage to be shown of the time he made Orton tap out. Orton said no such footage could be shown since he’s never tapped out to Benoit. Benoit immediately jumped Orton and hooked the crossface. Orton went down and began tapping. Benoit released the hold and left with a victorious smile on his face, as the crowd chanted “you tapped out” at the furious Orton.
Trevor: Very strong segment, and well booked. First of all, the Orton promo was strong. A big part of being champion is appearing like one and for the first time, Randy Orton did that for me tonight. It was because he had the right vehicle, certainly, and that’s a credit to the booking. Then Benoit went out there and they made him look strong, which was a surprise in itself, and they got over the crossface.
Eddie: Well one thing is for sure, and that’s they didn’t screw up on Randy Orton’s push before SummerSlam. Now, as to how good it was, is up to us, the fans. We decide. I like that Orton continues to be booked “on the edge,” as he acts like a complete heel, but he’s inserted inso situations where the fans pop for him, such as the horrible Divas Search. Benoit helped Randy’s push a lot last night.
Victoria & Nidia & Stacy Keibler defeated Molly Holly & Gail Kim & Jazz in 3:55. Victoria and Molly brawled. Gail tossed Stacy from the ring. Stacy got worked over for a while until using her long legs to kick her way free. All six began brawling, with Nidia pinning Molly with a bridge. Not all that good. Afterward, Trish Stratus came out, accompanied by Tyson Tomko. Trish went in the ring and began talking to all six Divas, who seemed interested in what she had to say. She wasn’t using a mic so neither the live audience nor the TV audience could hear her. She seemed to be making some sort of deal with them all, and it seemed to make all six of them put their differences aside. Trish led the other six Divas out, as if they had all made an alliance of some sort. More on this later.
Footage aired of HHH’s brutal destruction of William Regal last week.
Regal & Eugene were shown in their hotel suite. Angle alert! Regal was all bandaged and bruised to sell the beating he took. Eugene kept wanting to go to the arena, but Regal warned him that HHH would ambush him. He told Eugene not to go to the building until it was time for his match. That way, Ric Flair & Batista could ambush him as he headed out to the ring to face HHH & Orton. Admittedly, he didn’t say that last part. Regal told Eugene to just watch some TV and wait for a while. You mean they weren’t watching RAW? Regal excused himself to go take a leak or something. While he was gone, Eugene sneaked out.
Trevor: Both the Diva alliance and the Eugene cliffhangers were good. One of the two lived up to potential.
Eddie: I thought Stratus gathering all the divas together was a tremendous spot. It left a lot of uncertainty and although most of us had a feeling it would deal with the Diva Search, nobody hinted at anything. I absolutely love what WWE is doing with Trish Stratus, although it’s obvious that she’s not that convincing as a heel, and is much better in a face role. What I do like, though, is that every week they make her look like a special attraction. Having Tomko as a “bodyguard” adds to that. I don’t think that would have happened if Christian was around, but either way, I think they’ve done a tremendous job of booking Trish after foolishly misusing her in the Jericho/Christian stuff. The Regal/Eugene segment was good.
Smackdown Rebound aired.
Matt Hardy was looking all over for Lita, and found her alone in a secluded room. You could tell the room was secluded by the presence of a cameraman. Lita was worried about the upcoming contract signing. She was more worried about the paternity of her baby. She asked Matt if he meant it when he said he’d marry her no matter who was the baby’s father. He didn’t exactly answer. She then reported that a DNA test revealed that Kane is the daddy. Matt reacted with alleged horror and turned over a few pieces of furniture in anger. Personally, I don’t think this angle is nearly absurd enough. They should have had Lita report that the doctor couldn’t do a paternity test on the grounds that Kane doesn’t have DNA. Anyway, Matt stormed out in anger.
Jim Ross was in the ring for the contract signing. They had a desk in the ring, along with chairs for everyone involved in this thing. A WWE attorney was also present. This guy didn’t look anywhere near sinister enough to be an attorney Vince McMahon would employ. Kane came out, looking very happy over the DNA results. Matt then came out followed by Lita. JR reported the stipulations of the contract, which specified that Lita will marry the winner of the Kane vs. Matt match at SummerSlam. There was also a clause stating that Kane would not bother Matt or Lita anymore if Matt was the winner. That means this silly angle will end if Matt wins, which presumably tells us that he won’t since WWE rarely stops a stupid angle this quickly unless there’s a clear fan rebellion against it. Lita looked at Matt, who looked back at her in disgust. She didn’t seem to appreciate his attitude, and quickly signed. Kane signed with sinister glee. Matt stared at the contract for a while. Then he paced back and forth for a while. He finally signed. Kane announced that the test proved he’s more of a man than Matt will ever be. Matt turned the desk over on Kane and then walloped him with the attorney’s briefcase. Matt stormed out yet again, leaving the downed Kane looking angry in the ring. This whole angle is ridiculous and I really can’t see it selling PPV buys.
Trevor: This angle is still totally absurd and useless, but its not nearly as harmful and annoying as it was before. This reminds me of Vince Russo so much—actually, I still don’t want to watch TNA on Wednesday. Since I don’t believe that she actually used Kane’s DNA to conduct the test, there is still a chance that Jeff is the father.
Eddie: I agree with Trevor that this is “not hearly as harmful and annoying as it was before.” I think that there was a negative to this angle last night before they gave out what could have been a vital point of the angle, as to who’s the father. However, I’m guessing the only reason behind it was to ensure a Lita turn at the PPV, followed by a save from HBK.
Coach told the seven surviving Diva contenders that their challenge this week would be to sell the viewing audience an ice cream cone in 25 seconds. They then aired seven obviously pre-taped segments featuring each babe trying to sell us a generic vanilla ice cream cone. There was a table there with toppings such as chocolate syrup, cherries, whipped cream, etc.. Some of the girls figured out what was expected here and licked the cone. Amy really figured it out, and squirted whipped cream into her mouth. Coach said they had provided us with some (ahem) stiff competition. Yes, this aired before the supposedly more adult second (after 10:00 PM EST) hour.
Chris Jericho defeated Edge in a non-title match in 19:22 to start hour two. They slowly tested one another out for a while. Jericho hit a vertical suplex and began working over Edge’s back. Jericho hit some chops, and Edge responded with fists. Edge got his knees up when Jericho went for a splash. Each teased being a heel, with Edge throwing some punches and Jericho raking the eyes. The match was at this point kind of bland, but then Jericho took a big bump when he went for a springboard plancha and crashed to the floor when Edge ducked. Edge then sent Jericho bumping over the security barrier as the broadcast went into a commercial break. Edge had Jericho on the defensive as the live action returned. But Jericho dropkicked him out of the air as he came off the top. Jericho went for a bulldog, but Edge evaded it and caught Jericho with a boot to the face. Jericho hit a huracanrana. Edge tried to hook Jericho’s walls hold, but Jericho blocked it. Instead, Edge catapulted Jericho into the turnbuckles. Edge missed a dropkick, allowing Jericho to attempt the lionsault. Edge again got his knees up. Each guy scored some twos during all this. Jericho bailed out to the floor to avoid a spear. Edge hit him with a baseball slide. Both went up to the top. Edge sent Jericho crashing hard to the mat and nailed him with a missile kick. Edge escaped a walls attempt with an inside cradle for a near fall. The finish saw Edge go for a spear, which Jericho avoided. He then maneuvered himself on top of Edge and used the ropes illegally to score the pin. Almost immediately, Batista charged the ring and attacked Edge. Jericho simply stood at ringside and watched, making no effort to help Edge. Batista left Edge laying with two spinebusters and a lariat. Jericho just calmly walked off. The first half of this match was boring but the part after the break was good and had strong heat. On balance a decent bout.
Trevor: Who knew that ice cream could be so slutty? Oh, it was the women. Carmella is sooo above this. She worked for Hugh Heffner, after all. As for the wrestling, this was a good match and well focused on SummerSlam.
Eddie: OK. So they’re supposed to be pieces of T & A on this show, and if not, at least they’re supposed to know how to PRETEND to be pieces of T & A. All of those divas have some sort of a past that deals with that. Why are none of them good at it? Carmella is winning this, and it’s obvious. The worst part is that she’s the worst pick, and should be eliminated. She has absolutely no charisma, and shows absolutely no care for this. I hope Michelle wins because she’s a wrestling fan, and at least she’s somewhat familiar with the product and enjoys it… Did I just write all of this? Anyway, Edge and Jericho had a slow paced match that was OK, but picked up and got tremendous by the end, which seems to be the modern-day WWE format for those twenty-minute bouts we see on TV.
Eugene arrived at the arena and went to the ring. He wanted to fight HHH for hurting his friend Regal. HHH appeared on the TitanTron. He told Eugene he was mad at the wrong guy. He said Eugene should be mad at himself for not being smart enough to figure out he doesn’t belong in the wrestling business. HHH said he tried to warn Eugene, but he wouldn’t listen. He said there’s no way he’d tolerate Eugene costing him the World Title like he did, so he sent Eugene a message with his sledgehammer assault on Regal. HHH rhetorically asked if the problem was that he wasn’t being clear, or if it was simply that Eugene’s stupid. HHH answered his own question by declaring Eugene to be stupid. To prove his point, the camera pulled back to reveal that HHH was broadcasting from Regal’s hotel room. Regal was lying on the floor, a bloody mess. Seriously, he looked like 40 kilometers of bad road. HHH said Eugene was to blame for this, as he rammed Regal’s head repeatedly into a coffee table. HHH concluded by looking into the camera and vowing to end Eugene’s career at SummerSlam. Eugene began crying at the sight of Regal, and fled from the ring, presumably headed back to the hotel.
Trevor: The Eugene/William Regal/Triple H angle was done well enough to get the point across. More than I can say for some feuds, there is a clear reason why there is a match, and enough of a reason that it will contribute to wanting to buy the PPV instead of detract and provide nothing.
Eddie: I thought this was done well. Triple H delivered a top-notch promo.
Rhyno & Tajiri vs. Rip Albright & Chris Cage went to a time limit draw in 2:00. The deal here was that La Resistance promised to give Rhyno & Tajiri a tag title shot if they could beat the jobber team in 2:00. Naturally, the finish saw Rhyno gore Cage. But when he went for the pin just ten seconds before the time limit, La Resistance distracted the ref, keeping him from counting the fall. Thus, the time expired. Not much can happen in a two minute squash match, though Rhyno has looked really animated out there in recent bouts.
Trevor: Unique match gimmick with the Rhyno and Tajiri match. It worked, not outstandingly well, but well. I like that they are doing something to keep this feud alive and giving La Resistance something to chew on.
Eddie: This wasn’t well thought-out, because having pinned the champions last week, it was a bit confusing to see why Tajiri and Rhyno had to do something else to get a shot. I think this is where they could have used Eric Bischoff, and instead of saying “he made a decision,” they could have had him come out and be his heelish self to help this. At any rate, it is still very smart booking to put Tajiri and Rhynoe over, because adding another obstacle int heir tag team championsihps route furthers the feud pretty well.
Coach brought the babes out to the ring for the bikini posedown as the numbers for voting for your favorite Diva were announced. For the record once again, the seven survivors were Michelle, Christy, Maria, Tracie, Carmella, Amy, and Joy. As they were all posing, Trish came out, leading Molly, Jazz, Gail, Nidia, Stacy, and Victoria to the ring. The story here was that the established Divas are pissed over the attention the contenders are getting (not to mention the $250,000 for the winner) so they’ve put aside their feuds to challenge them. In other words, this is something of a shoot. Trish challenged the contenders to a game of dodgeball at SummerSlam, saying that Eric Bischoff had given his approval to the idea. The contenders accepted. Something tells me this won’t sell PPV buys, either. But it could have if done the right way. That would have required Trish to wallop one of the contender babes with a wrench, leading to a massive blade job with blood puddled all over the ring. Hey, I’d vote for whichever chick did a major gusher spouting blade job. I mean, it would show that she loves the business, right?
Trevor: OK, so it didn’t live up to it’s potential. The thing that people forget when talking about this is the fact that it doesn’t matter.
Eddie: I was very mad at this, because I absolutely loved the Trish/Divas segment earlier. Divas Dodgeball? Well, you got to understand, these people aren’t contracted, so WWE can’t have any wrestler lay their hands on them. Anyway, we’ll see how this works. I like one thing, and that’s the fact that the Divas are getting interaction with superstars (Orton, Stratus, other RAW Divas), which might help, especially when there’s less contenders left.
JR & Lawler hyped the RAW matches for SummerSlam, while Tazz & Michael Cole did the same for the Smackdown bouts.
Chris Benoit defeated HHH & Randy Orton by DQ in a handicap match in 10:40. Benoit reported that Eugene was back at his hotel with the bludgeoned Regal, so he agreed to fight alone. Benoit started strong, sending Orton out to the floor, and hitting the triple German suplexes on HHH. Flair got on the apron, and Benoit slugged him. But Flair’s distraction allowed the heels to get the upper hand. Orton put a beating on Benoit as Lawler asked JR what he had accomplished by age 24. Lawler said at that age JR was still working at his Uncle Jed’s lube rack. For the next several minutes, Orton and HHH kept tagging off to one another as they continued to beat up Benoit in their corner. Benoit managed a brief rally until HHH put him down with a spinebuster. Benoit bumped out, and Flair gave him a low blow. Benoit managed to rally again and suplexed HHH. He gave Orton a major superplex. HHH tried for a pedigree but Benoit backdropped him out to the floor. Benoit put the sharpshooter on Orton, with Flair making the save. Orton went for an RKO. Benoit blocked it and hooked the crossface. Flair broke it up in plain view of the ref for the DQ. HHH pedigreed Benoit and brought in a chair, but before he could use it he was attacked by the returning Eugene. HHH bailed out quickly to the floor as Eugene punched out both Orton & Flair. The show left the air somewhat abruptly as Eugene hit a stunner on Orton. The match was decent. Benoit’s rally at the end was heated but most of the bout was him being double-teamed, and there’s not as much that can be done with that. Solid workrate in a solid match.
Trevor: Good match, but I don’t like the idea of seeing so much of Benoit going into his defense. Strong plug for Sunday.
Eddie: This was a good main event.
Overall thoughts
Trevor: 7
Like last week’s RAW, this was a very strong show with a focused build to this Sunday’s PPV. The top matches are well promoted. The show was pretty entertaining too, as even the poorly-conceived segments weren’t nearly as pestilent as they have been in past weeks (like the Diva search and the Matt Hardy/Lita/Kane storyline) and two matches in Edge/Jericho and the main event were good. Another very good show.
Eddie: 7
I was a bit surprised to see that most people online didn’t like RAW this past week. I thought it was a good show, that helped in a lot of areas where SummerSlam goes. The only negatives for me were the divas stuff, and somewhat the Lita storyline. Other than that, I felt that WWE had a strong showing this past Monday. Again, this was a good show.
The big news today comes from WWE.com (of all places), as the official site of World Wrestling Entertainment reported the company has parted ways with Rena “Sable” Mero. WWE.com posted the following message today: “WWE and Rena Mero, p.k.a. Sable, have parted ways. More to follow.” Of course, as one would expect, this is following Sable’s comments towards WWE in a recent interview conducted by FortWayne.com, where Sable was critical of WWE. This has “Roddy Piper/HBO” written all over it. Mero signed a three-year deal with WWE back in March of 2003, after having left the company in the past and even sued them in 1999.
To continue on the WWE.com side of things, the site has once again uploaded backstage videos from RAW. This week we’re getting words from Triple H, Lita backstage, the Divas on Dodgeball, and Chandra getting eliminated.
A lot of people backstage are unhappy that they don’t have a match for SummerSlam, whereas 14 diva will be playing Dodgeball at the PPV. However, rumors have it that the plan is for a short segments, so that’s something to cheer for.
Apparently, Eric Bischoff missed last night’s RAW show due to his Sturgis rally PPV, but nobody has ever confirmed that.
SmackDown will be preempted in Philly this week, due to baseball. You can catch the show on Saturday, at 8 PM, instead of its usual slot.
Rico returns to the ring tomorrow at an OVW show, where he will meet Nova. He has recently been off TV due to having a torn hamstring.
Word has it that following WWE No Mercy on October 3, RAW will be live from Madison Square Garden on 10/4, whereas SmackDown will be taped at the Fleet Center in Boston on 10/5.
Several sources are reporting that WWE is showing much better treatment to Carmella than any of the other RAW Diva Search contenders, because they have wanted her to win all along. Having in mind that she’s been Playboy’s Plamate of the Year, WWE feels that her winning will further help the relationship between Playboy and McMahon’s organization. Has anyone else ever wondered why they never tell us any results or show us any polls or anything that deals with numbers when it comes to the RAW Diva Search? Very interesting.
Speaking of Carmella, she’s actually the girlfriend of Cleveland Browns QB Jeff Garcia, which might have been the reason for the pop she reveied on RAW (the show aired live from Cleveland). There’s an article on this HERE.
Thanks for reading.
