So I opted out of joining in the bash-fest after last week’s RAW. The show was so horrendous that it didn’t even deserve to be mentioned. During that broadcast, it was apparent what the focal point of the program would be. Likewise, within the first ten minutes of this week’s RAW, it was apparent what the focal point of the program would be.
I’ve been told many times that mistakes are part of human nature and that it’s fine to make mistakes sometimes. But what isn’t fine is to continue making those same mistakes over and over again. I was absolutely thrilled that the WWE realized their mistakes with last week’s RAW, even more so with the corrective actions they took. While it wasn’t a spot free broadcast, it did serve as an ending point to many storylines (due to the draft). I’ll begin by talking about the segments and matches first, then conclude with the Million Dollar Mania efforts.
Tonight’s RAW started with John Cena and instantly I was glad that Vince didn’t come out to open the show. The reaction that John got was absolutely deafening, prompting me to turn down the volume of my television. I did have a minor bone to pick with his promo- he predicted that his match with Triple H would be a moment that would “transcend time” and compared this to Hogan slamming Andre the Giant. He compared this to Shawn Michaels achieving his boyhood dream and uttering those unforgettable words. He compared this to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s legacy, all of which he said “that everyone one of us know where we were and what we were doing when it first happened.” To make that kind of prediction is borderline suicidal because now their match is hyped to the max. I’m not sure you can get much bigger than the aforementioned events. Personally, I doubt their match will be anything but short of epic, but here’s hoping for a match to remember for a very long time. I also enjoyed the side jabs Triple H and John took at each other: some sounding like shoots, others scripted. All in all, it was a fantastic way to continue the hype of their match at Night of Champions, and the near brawl at the end of the segment set the tone for the rest of the night.
John Cena’s match for the evening was against the ‘Samoan Bulldozer’ Umaga in a Street Fight, to which Triple H told Cena “Good luck. And don’t get hurt.” The match itself was solid with a few bigger bumps thrown in (such as the Samoan Drop onto the steel ramp by Umaga). One thing I’d like to comment on is John Cena going to the top rope- it just doesn’t make any sense to me. He reminds me of Kane going up there because he just looks so awkward standing on that top turnbuckle, and he also reminds me a little of Ric Flair mostly because he rarely connects with anything. But I digress… Cena would end up winning the match after finally being able to muster the strength to F-U Umaga.
Triple H’s match for the evening was against Chris Jericho as a result of events that had transpired earlier in the evening (which I’ll get to next). Watching the two of them battle is always a delight for me and likely the rest of the WWE Fan Nation. Both men are seasoned veterans and ring generals so it’s just a treat to see them both together. It makes me remember a few of their classic encounters, specifically Judgment Day 2002 when Triple H and Jericho fought in the Hell in a Cell match in Nashville, TN (where I was in attendance on shown on PPV) and their match at WrestleMania X-8. With only 5-7 minutes to work with, I knew that this wouldn’t be anything even close to their potential but it was very engaging, nonetheless. A couple of shocking things happened during and after the match. First, having seen Jericho counter two Pedigrees during a RAW match (not one, but TWO) was somewhat of a small feat to begin with. Second, the interference on Lance Cade’s part was completely unexpected, but very much welcomed by me. After collecting my thoughts, I realize that this guy has always been a dark horse and has tremendous potential (trained by Shawn Michaels, if memory serves) so I’m willing to give him a shot. With the draft coming up, I’m expecting him to get shifted to another brand and continue the push. Everyone remembers how the ‘new guys on the block’ usually get the pushes, right?! Finally on this subject, it was a bit intriguing to see Jericho’s facial expressions towards Cade. It seemed a bit pleased with a side of perplexion, maaaaybe a hint of gratitude. At the end of a night where Cena and Triple H jockeyed for momentum, the irony was found in them both lying unconscious in the middle of the ring as the screen faded to black.
Now, onto this week’s marquee story- the return of the ‘Nature Boy’ RIC FLAIR!! And essentially out of nowhere, to boot. I am not objecting his return at all, I actually think it’s great! He’s a valuable asset to the company, so seeing him do his thing is fantastic. What I do have a problem with is the way WWE cut to a commercial when Flair came out on stage. In my book, the mood was COMPLETELY killed for TV fans having to sit through 3 minutes of commercials in anticipation for what was to come. I’m not sure what the live crowd experienced, but I just have to believe that if WWE would have connected those two segments of his return and the parking lot chase that his segment would have had even more emphasis and raw emotion. I was a bit deflated to see Triple H coming through the ‘EXIT’ door, but not completely surprised. Perhaps a Shawn Michaels appearance would have set the mood, but I understand why they did what they did with bringing Triple H into the picture. One last thought on Flair- does anyone else have that gut feeling that when McMahon said “Talk to you next week, Ric” that Flair will be RAW’s GM? GOD, I could only wish!
Brief thoughts on the remainder of the night:
-Summertime Beach Bikini Blow Out: It was okay, but axe Jillian already! I would have much rather seen a continuation of Melina and Beth Phoenix. There’s just something about that story that pulls me in- I hope they aren’t separated during the draft and can continue on.
–Jeff Hardy def. Carlito: Very entertaining match, but very disappointing to see Carlito continue to job. Is it a consequence of him speaking out against Triple H? You be the judge (here’s the link to that story by the way).
-Ted DiBiase, Jr. is an enigma that I haven’t figured out yet, but I can tell you this- he’s going to be GOLD! He reminds me so much of a young Randy Orton and the way that he used to be when he first broke onto the scene. I am more than anticipating the rumored 2nd-Generation stable that he and Cody Rhodes are supposed to be involved with.
-Katie Lea/Paul Burchill def. Mickie James/Mr. Kennedy: Great match, good chemistry, awesome way to tie together all of the involved storylines. This match accomplished a lot more than its face value eludes to.
And finally, the Million Dollar Mania segments. They were an improvement over last week (hell, they couldn’t get worse if they tried), but I found it completely lame and unrefined, if you will, that Mr. McMahon asked some of the callers to give their impressions of a dog and even Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk to these people at all, often cutting off people mid-sentence. If you are running a contest to attract more fans, then you need to make your contest as fan-friendly as possible. Money alone won’t do the trick. I also got tired of Vince’s “inspirations” for how much money he was going to give away, ie- “In honor of Flair’s 16 World Titles, you get $16!” or “Since there were about 70,000 fans at WrestleMania XXIV, you get $70,000!”
My suggestion to make this segment actually mean something is to have the fans watch RAW and really pay attention to the show. Then, the next week, have questions about the previous week’s RAW broadcast, such as “Who did John Cena defeat last week on RAW?”. If you don’t watch the entire episode, then you won’t know the answers! THAT, my friends, is how you get ratings… NOT the same “password” for an entire evening that allows people to tune out of the broadcast after the first 20 minutes.
Questions? Comments? Like my view on things? Hate what I have to say? Fill out the comment section below and let me know what you think!! Also, don’t be afraid to post in our X-Forums!
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