I could have sat down on my computer and gloated for a few paragraphs about how I guessed Triple H is going to SmackDown!, along with several other picks, but instead I decided it’ll be more fun to write up collective thoughts of the RAW show from last night. After all, this was definitely the most eventful and interesting RAW in a while. To their credit – WWE shook things up big time by having every draftee be a major player.
Triple H beat Mark Henry to open up the show in a match that was much better than one would think. Henry dominated for the most part, as it was made clear he’s the next challenger for the ECW Title. Triple H was finally able to hit the Pedigree, and the win brought Rey Mysterio to RAW, which was the first “draft pick” of the evening. In the next match, Finlay and Hornswoggle beat Carlito and Santino which resulted in Jeff Hardy going to SmackDown!, so you basically had a trade – Hardy for Mysterio. I think that was an OK move. Mysterio has been out due to his injury, thus would have gotten a fresh start up on either brand, but he has been with SmackDown! since the split, pretty much. While I understand that WWE wanted to attract specific demographics to Monday Night RAW, I’m not sure most of those people care about basic cable (minority-based demographics) or are up that late on a school night (young kids). The truth is that John Cena, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio are probably the top three favorite characters of kids, but Cena and Hardy also appeal to female fans which separates Mysterio from the pack, while Rey appeals to the Hispanic audience which is an easier draw on basic cable. Either way, I think it’s a good move that can work. Hardy wasn’t going to get the belt on RAW with his two failed drug tests, and seeing the new talent that’s coming over, there wouldn’t have been much to do. Note that at first I was extremely mad about this pick because I did not want Jeff and Matt on the same show, but this was fixed later on.
In a segment that WWE used to often do a few years ago, we witnessed some storyline foreshadowing, as Rey Mysterio was talking with Triple H in the back, and Triple H pointed out he’s excited to finally work with Mysterio, and was glad the two are on the same brand now. In WWF (not WWE) language, this has always meant they’re doing something that involves both of them the very same night, or they’re never working with each other. (Another great example of wrestling foreshadowing: The July 9, 2001 edition of Monday Night RAW featured the APA winning the WWF Tag Team Titles from the Dudley Boyz with the help of Spike Dudley. In a backstage segment after the match, Bradshaw offered the Dudleyz beer, and a rematch, and the APA pointed out they didn’t know Spike was going to come out. The Dudleyz declined the beer offer, but added “Why don’t you ask us again at night’s end?” – ECW was then reformed in the main event to add to the InVasion angle, with of course, the Dudleyz switching sides. It was so good of a segment, that I still remember it…)
Randy Orton cut a very nice short promo. I think Orton has cemented himself as a top-tier guy on RAW, and there’s some great feuds for him down the line when he returns (Batista vs. Orton should be good). I think he fits much better on RAW, so I’m glad he wasn’t drafted/traded.
Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes then defeated Brand C’s Chavo Guerrero (once pushed as Brand C’s Champion, now a jobber on Brand A) and Bam Neely. I think Bam Neely isn’t all that bad, and with some more work can be a good worker. I have to point out that Ted DiBiase (Jr.) did a wonderful job on commentary here. I’ve enjoyed watching him for the most part, and you can tell he knows how to handle himself on the big stage. That experience he gained in Japan was worth it. Am I the only one who thinks his dad will be his partner on Sunday? Anyway, the victory brought CM Punk to RAW. I think that this was an easy switch, and predictable. (I put it in my last column, in fact.) It’s time to elevate Punk as he had gotten lost in the shuffle since winning Money in the Bank. The question becomes how far will he go on RAW, and will they do the right thing with him. Time will tell. Good pick.
Chris Jericho continued his heel turn with another promo. Jericho has been tremendous with his turn so far, and the booking of this storyline has picked up. I like that they didn’t rush the match (very important!) and instead will give it a slow build. In fact, I was hoping Michaels would come back early, but instead of get some payback (which happens 100% of the time in these type of storylines), he should get laid out again. While the way it happened last night was very goofy, I think it was a smart move to keep the program running. Cade did a decent job on his promo, and am interested to see how this develops. I’m glad Jericho and Michaels were kept on RAW because with the people that are coming to Mondays, they can have some great matches and programs featuring those two guys.
In what I thought was the best match of the night, John Morrison and The Miz defeated The Hardyz. A sigh of relief hit me when the Hardyz came out because I knew by WWE booking standards one was bound to be drafted after the match. When Tazz conveniently reminded everybody that titles are drafted with their holders, I was sure Matt was heading to ECW. I think that’s a very good move for a few reasons. First, Matt and Jeff on the same show should be a major no-no, as they take away from each other. Second, ECW needed more star power, and Matt is an established guy who needs a bigger push that can be given to him on Tuesdays. Third, ECW is going small as we found out later in the draft, and the possibility of Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin, or Kofi Kingston already has me excited. I also want to say here that The Miz – once a complete joke who everybody took shots at – has really taken his game up a few notches. Him and Morrison are a great team and every time I’ve watched them lately, I’ve been impressed. They deserved the win last night.
Vince’s money giveaway was weird throughout the show. From the woman who needed her daughter to tell her what her name was, along with the password, to the “This looks worked!” person in attendance, they were all weird. Vince looked like a complete goof when he told the first contestant she had the wrong password, when she had the correct one. Did he really go out there not knowing the password? The Great Khali money segment was money itself. That was hilarious. However, the one segment that shouldn’t have been there was when Vince brought out Ric Flair. It was Vince who made the stipulation that the next time Flair loses, he retires. It was due to that stipulation that Ric Flair retired. Not to mention Vince kicked out last week. And now, he brings him back? I know it’s not a major thing to look into and they should get a rain check for it, but really, it was just too obvious to not see when booking the segment.
Melina and Mickie James teaming up against Victoria and Natalya was great. Not because of the horrible wrestling or the even better “freak out” of the year level of incompetence in all four ladies and the referee when Melina was injured (which is not a work, by the way), but mostly for Mike Adamle calling Melina “Mickie,” and being convinced she was indeed Mickie James. How ridiculous was everybody involved in this match when the injury happened? Here’s a hint – when something like this happens, just call the match off. Don’t try to further the injury of the wrestler (as in when Beth Phoenix dragged Candice Michelle by the next after she broke her collarbone on RAW a few months ago) by coming up with new stuff you’re not sure about on the moment. Don’t try to be “tough sport” either if you’re the ref and make the wrestlers panic by making them come up with new finishes. Just call off the damn match! It’s as real as you can get anyway, not to mention in yesterday’s situation, there was supposed to be a double DQ finish anyway. Speaking of which…
Jim Ross going to SmackDown! is a very tough move, although I see it as a blessing in disguise. I think that it’s done for all the wrong reasons, as Vince McMahon deep down hates Ross, and has wanted to replace him for years, and that’s the only reason it was done. Not to mention that Ross was sickened by the move and on several occasions made it clear on the air, even when Mick Foley tried really hard to calm him down and put him over. The bottom line is that Jim Ross represents Monday Night RAW. Period. This can’t be changed, and it shouldn’t be changed until the day he calls it quits on his own. That’s a big reason as to why the move hurts. As far as why I think it’s a blessing in disguise, I will repeat the line Jim Ross was fed today by some in management – with SmackDown! going on a different channel, the point was to rebuild the brand completely and even it out with RAW. To be honest, after the draft last night, they’ve done the beginning steps of that. I think Ross going over there adds a lot of credibility to SmackDown! and I think that him working with Foley will be a lot of fun because Foley is more passionate than Lawler, and he just needs to work on creating the chemistry with Ross (which will be impossible since Ross doesn’t want it, and after all, Lawler and Ross have been a team for years). I also think that Michael Cole deserves to call RAW. He’s been with the company for a long time, and recently turned into the company man, as he’s worked hard and has done everything they’ve asked him to. While he has always wanted the switch and has dreamed of calling RAW, I really think he was genuine when he said that he was a bit sad since he has called every single episode of SmackDown! in the last ten years, except two. He took that show to what it is today and it was a learning process that at the end succeeded. When he was teamed up with Lawler, he was treated poorly (I hope this doesn’t happen again on RAW), but when he started working with Tazz, his work on the mic was elevated to another level. Even his pairing with JBL was good because he had gained so much experience calling matches by then. I think just like RAW will always be associated with Jim Ross as its announcer, SmackDown! will always be associated with Michael Cole as its announcer. That’s the only reason I think the switch is bad.
John Cena beat Edge via count out in a crappy-ending match of a once-great rivalry that features two of today’s best entertainers in the company. This resulted in RAW getting Batista. Another very good move. Batista has pretty much done it all on SmackDown! and although I felt they could have done some stuff with him and the new “draft picks,” he’s earned the call on RAW, where there will be plenty for him to do. A program that the company has always wanted to do is the natural Batista vs. Cena feud. This should be great stuff.
MVP beat up the “washed up” (Mike Adamle being Mike Adamle) Tommy Dreamer, which resulted in another “ECW got shafted yet again” moment as Umaga went to SmackDown!. This was the only known switch before the night began. It’s a good move for him as he will hopefully get the deserved push and work with some big guys like Undertaker and Big Show on Friday nights. By the way, I think MVP would fit better on RAW, as I said in my preview last column. I would have swapped Hardy for MVP, and not for Mysterio.
JBL beat Kofi Kingston in a match close to a squash. It’s a shame – Kingston can actually have quite a decent run in WWE. As a result, Kane was drafted to RAW. A little iffy about this one, because he meant a lot more on ECW than he will on RAW. However, I think they want to turn him heel because he’s getting a bit stale as a face, and they could use another heel on RAW. Let’s stay tuned for how this one develops.
Edge won a Tri-Branded 15-Men Battle Royal. How ugly was that head-to-head collision between Batista and Edge? Man. Both are doing okay, but Batista needed some major stitches last night. The winner got two draft picks. Kennedy was drafted first. I was against that move, and in a way still am, but I understand why. The second pick was the big one, as they did the wise thing and moved Triple H to SmackDown!. I explained why this is good in my preview column.
I like that when the Draft was done with, you were still interested in Sunday’s PPV because you didn’t know which title is going to end up where. For example, Kane is your current Heavyweight Champion on RAW! ECW doesn’t have one, and SmackDown! has two. Does Triple H beat Cena and keep the WWE title on SmackDown! while Edge loses the World Title to Batista, which now goes to RAW? Or the other way around? You got to order the PPV to find out.
The show ended with McDeath Part 2. A weird-shaped object that was supposed to assemble a lights set fell from the top of the Titan Tron after Vince gave away $500,000. I think the idea was that it was supposed to hit Vince, but it came nowhere near him. He stood there not knowing what’s happening until some sparks began to fly. So since he never got hit, he randomly jumped off stage. Then the Million Dollar mini-set fell on top of him but it was obvious from the camera angle that it came nowhere near hurting him. The wrestlers who were in the Battle Royal rushed the scene (to make it more realistic), and lifted up the set. Vince eventually “woke up” and screamed “Paul. Paul.” at Triple H to add even more “reality” to it. Then he said he can’t feel his legs, as he was wheeled out. Well, he “died” last draft, and this draft didn’t turn out better for him. It was a cheap way to end the Million Dollar Giveaway, and I hope it leads to some interesting storyline, but I know better. So much for Regal being the one who did it…
Eddie
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