Well, well, well, was that really Raw that we got last night? It sure was and that show was just out of this world. I expected to get the same type of crap that we got last week, but Vince swerved us and put on a super show. And the Toronto, Ontario crowd was outstanding; add some very solid wrestling I would say that we got a near perfect show. In fact the weak segments didn’t even bother me because so much was so good. Can you tell that I can’t wait to get started with my column?
The show got off to a nice wet and wild segment with the Diva Bikini Beach Blast Battle Royal. Listen this wasn’t the match of the night, but for what it was it was fine. You had the diva’s from all three brands out there with there teeny bikini’s and water guns and they did their best to make it fun. I had no problem watching this one at all. And I had no problem watching Shane McMahon, even though I am not a fan of his. His promo about the June 11th draft I found interesting and somewhat exciting. I can’t wait to see how this draft goes. After all it’s been two years since the last one so two weeks can’t come soon enough for me.
The Hardy’s, Cade and Murdoch vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team, Johnny Nitro and Kenny was my MATCH OF THE NIGHT. This match was just filled with action and honestly it was a lot of fun to watch. I don’t know about you but I feel that the Hardy’s still get a great reaction from the lives crowds and because of this reaction I will go out on a limb and say that Jeff and Matt have really come through when Raw has been at its worse. It seems like even though they don’t get the push that I would love to see them get, they are consistently solid in the ring. This match was just off the charts and I am still very happy with the way that they are still handling Cade and Murdoch. And speaking of Murdoch I have to give him props for that terrific splash he did off the top rope. Wow I bet Charlie Haas and Shelton are still hurting from that one. As I said this was my match of the night. And I found it kind of nice to hear Shelton on the mic challenging the Hardy’s to a match at One Night Stand. And with Jeff and Matt making their title match a Ladder Match for Sunday’s show, you have to figure that this could be the top match of the pay per view.
John Cena’s promo didn’t wow me like it seemed to wow so many on the internet. It’s his usual; he’s going to prove to the doubters that he can beat Khali. Well we all know he will because the pattern is that Khali takes Cena out on Raw and on pay per views Cena beats Khali. I enjoyed the Santino Marella’s interview with Maria. I thought he came off like the guy we saw the first time. Charming and sweet and having Maria there just made this “cute” to watch. I couldn’t wait for the Orton vs. RVD match. This was my second favorite match of the night. I thought Orton and RVD did a fantastic job and RVD sold that head injury so well. I like it that they are making Orton the Concussion Killer. Shawn Michaels went down first and last night it was Van Dam’s turn. I also was thrilled that they kept HBK in the storyline by having JR and The King talk about the latest update on Shawn’s “concussion.” Now I thought last night was the last time RVD would be on TV for WWE but supposedly Orton vs. RVD will continue tonight on ECW. I still say Vince should hang on to Van Dam, now is not the time to let this man go. Especially when Randy has given the company a lot of trouble in the last couple of years and he remains, I say work something out with RVD and KEEP HIM. Anyway this was just one hell of a segment.
Another match that I liked a lot was Ric Flair and Torrie vs. Victoria and Carlito. See this one was good because this was a way to make Carlito even more of a heel against his old girlfriend Torrie, but we also got a match with Ric Flair and Victoria. And I think a psycho Victoria hanging around Carlito could be a good thing for Victoria, Carlito and the fans. This match was short but it still came off well and I say it’s nice to have Carlito back as a heel, even though I really did like him as a face. The Chris Masters/Marella segment didn’t mean much to me, but again because it was so short it didn’t bother me at all. I just wish that if they are going to push Masters they would do something with that gimmick and find that man some CHARISMA, because I find him to be very dull.
And the main event with Khali, Umaga and Shane vs. Bobby Lashley and Cena was okay. The Toronto fans were split with their feelings about Cena. We got Cena Sucks chants and the Cena fans would come back with Let’s Go Cena. Now I read that Vince and his staff expected the reaction that Cena got and that it didn’t bother them or Cena at all. Well I would think Cena would be used to it and look at it as a way for the fans to get involved in what’s going on. I have never thought that Cena would really be upset by the negativity. So reading that Cena wasn’t bothered by the chants just made me laugh. As I said this match was good and it played out well, and the pin by Shane over Bobby Lashley tells me that Bobby is winning on Sunday.
Ah a Vince McMahon free Raw. I am not counting the few minutes that he was on at the very end of the show. A two hour Raw without Bobby Lashley dominating too much of the show, and strong matches are why I feel Raw was so good last night. And from the feedback that I have been receiving I see that most of you feel the same way about the show. I hope ECW tonight and Smackdown on Friday will be as good as Raw was. I will be back over the weekend with One Night Stand predictions. I think this time I will make a strong comeback and get most of them right. Anything would be an improvement over my Judgment Day picks.
Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com
