If you take away two MISERABLE segments last night, then it would be fair to say that Raw was really a good show. In fact I re-watched the encore hours later and I do mean hours later on the USA network. Two matches were set up for Unforgiven, there were several good matches on the show and we got less of Vince McMahon. That alone made for a good Raw. So let me talk quickly and I do mean quickly about those horrible segments and then on to the rest of the show.
For a person that took to the Spirit Squad from day one and I’m talking about me I have come to look at them in a whole new light. And that new light is, they do nothing at all for me. Their obnoxiousness that won me over is gone. I think it’s all due to the fact that Vince McMahon put them in a Raw main event against Triple H, or Shawn Michaels, or DX every week for way too many months. Their gimmick has run its course. So last night watching them take on a worthless tag team of Hacksaw and Eugene was a total waste of time. You have no idea how much I was hoping that Umaga would come out and destroy Duggan and Eugene so they would stay off TV for a while. Raw needs good tag teams, not two guys thrown together just to put them out there. So I hated this whole segment.
And I have to say Melina is on a roll. She was crap on the mic when she did her so called press conference accusing Batista of sexual harassment and she continued to come off like garbage last night when she gave her thoughts on Mick Foley. And as much as I like watching Johnny Nitro wrestle and believe me I do, he stunk on the mic. So you put these two together and you end up wondering what the hell the purpose of all of this was. Also the hairstyle on Melina was so bad that I found it very hard to see her as a hot diva. Trust me when I re-watched Raw I switched channels with the match that I mentioned and the so called press conference. I guess I would add that paddle on a pole match, but the highlight for me was Candice. I have said this many times before that she just seems to have a good time out there and she doesn’t take herself seriously and that I enjoy.
But the rest of Raw was a winning show as far as I’m concerned. The opening with Shane and Edge really was a nice change of pace. I’m thinking of donating money to Lita so that she can buy some tops that have extra material because I worry that she might catch a chest cold. But seriously I thought the opening was a great way to start the show off. I also liked how John Cena’s match took place immediately. Now if you notice I left Cena’s mic work out during all of this. I hated it; again he came off like a Rock wannabe. I even said to my husband he’s trying to be funny and clever like the Rock and when Cena comes off like that it never works. It’s not smooth and it goes against me. However, I did like his match against Chris Masters. Masters is definitely not as muscular as he was before he was suspended. And I’m wondering if that’s why he looked faster in the ring. These two put on a nice match and Edge coming out and attacking Cena with a chair, ladder and throwing him into the table was a perfect way to set up their gimmick match at Unforgiven.
Right before the Carlito and Trish segment I was on WWE.com and I saw the item about Lita dropping the Trish is retiring bombshell. So when it was played out with Carlito and Trish I was all ready for it. I have to say these two really have that special chemistry and I saw that chemistry when Trish and Jericho had a thing for each other. It is ashame Trish is leaving when their characters seem to be getting closer and closer. But I’ll tell you this, I couldn’t be happier with this Carlito and Randy Orton feud, so when Orton attacked Carlito from the back it really worked for me. I like a pissed off Orton so much better than the smiling conceited Orton. And Orton vs. Jeff Hardy number one contender match for the IC title was outstanding. So far Jeff is looking very sharp and refreshed out there. These two worked off each other very well and Carlito interfering and costing Orton the match was predictable yet very satisfying since Hardy will have a match I’m hoping at Unforgiven against Nitro for the IC title.
As I mentioned earlier we got less of Vince last night. Instead Shane ran the show, and his goal was to make DX’s life miserable. Later on during the show Shane confronted DX and told them that the pranks had to stop and they needed to stop acting so childish. Hunter’s response was perfect. He listed some of the things that Shane’s 61 year old father has done, like pulling his pants down so other men could kiss his ass, dating girls 1/3rd his age, and I guess not only now do we now know that Hunter is the father of Stephanie’s baby but last night his line about Vince making his daughter wrestle a week before her wedding surprised me. Of course Hunter added a little humor to by saying that she wrestled days before she was to marry the man with the largest penis, and Shawn quickly stopped him. Of course I found that all very funny. And as far as the main event with DX vs. Finlay, Mr. Kennedy….Kennedy and Steven Regal goes? I liked the match a lot. It had action, it was fast paced AND the Little Bastard made an appearance. This was a good match and when it was all said and done and DX won, Shane had more in store of DX. Big Show was sent out and along with Finlay, Kennedy and Regal, HBK and Triple H were finally taken out.
But what I really liked was when Vince McMahon came out. This wasn’t the usual smug Vince; this Vince came off like a lunatic. You could see it in his body language. He didn’t come out with his signature walk and waving arms. Instead his posture was rigid and he looked like a maniac. He had a very intense and determined look about him. And that all continued as used a led pipe on Hunter and a camera on Shawn. It was like he was possessed. Vince’s character last night couldn’t have been better. Now I’m not exactly sure about this Hell In A Cell match that Vince announced for Unforgiven. Let me tell you why. I would have preferred not to have anymore McMahon matches with DX. Also I’m not so sure about Big Show being added into this match. I’m not saying I’m totally against the match, but I’m not exactly embracing it as of now. But with two Raws left before Unforgiven maybe the HIAC match will win me over.
So a cool Raw, cool enough to have me watch it twice in one night, and in a few hours ECW will be on with Paul Heyman vs. Sabu in the main event. But I bet you that Heyman will do all he can to find a replacement. Finally here in Chicago we will be getting Smackdown on Saturday nights I think for the next three weeks, and then once the CW network starts it will be back on Friday nights. I know there are other cities that will be airing Smackdown on Saturday’s as well so make sure you check things out you wouldn’t want to miss Smackdown, or would you? It seems that many of my readers are not Smackdown fans, but that’s for another column.
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