Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
WWE Raw Supershow - January 30, 2012
Opening Segment - Good, strong segment to start things off. Big Johnny coming out smiling and shaking hands with everyone had a good feel to it in that he did seem to be sucking up a little to everyone. His confidence at the beginning of things set things up nicely for Punk to come out. Punk insulted him for a bit while JL continued to smile, though you could sense under the surface that he was dying to lash out at Punk. Daniel Bryan coming out was a nice surprise and he continues to do a great job with this slow heel turn. He had some nice interaction with Punk and I like that they didn't try to overdo it. After all, these two are close and it's logical for there to be some tension between their characters when you consider how highly both men hold themselves as far as being "the best wrestler in the world". Bryan drew some really good heat, especially after referring to himself as a role model. A heel calling himself a role model is a great way to generate heat. The champ vs. champ match that JL set up had me very excited, especially when Punk & Bryan agreed to basically tear the house down. Thumbs Up
1. Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler - Another very good outing between these two. This was Orton's first match back and, if anything, he seemed very refreshed in my eyes. He just looked as if he not only hadn't lost a step but had actually gained a couple. They delivered some great action with some believable near falls scattered throughout the match. The match was a little over 11 minutes long, but it felt longer than that, and I mean that in a good way. Orton does eventually win after hitting the RKO. It would've been nice to see Ziggler go over here but I wasn't expecting it to happen. Orton simply isn't going to lose in his first match back. Ziggler still looked strong in defeat and I think we'll ultimately see Ziggler take the next big step forward come WrestleMania. ***1/4
Big Johnny Backstage - They showed a brief exchange with Johnny Ace backstage with a few people, including William Regal. Regal's comment about having conjoined twins in the fifth grade was hilarious, just classic Regal sense of humor, all while Big Johnny just kept smiling and said that was a tough year. I'm enjoying JL's antics thus far. Thumbs Up
2. Brodus Clay vs. Tyler Reks - More of the same with Clay getting the win in about a minute. Clay continues to get a great response from live crowds and I have to say that I'm enjoying Clay. He looks as though he's having a great time out there and he's really thrown himself into things. N/A
3. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan - This match was just plain phenomenal and delivered in every way it was intended. Punk & Bryan looked brilliant during this match and it delivered fantastic back and forth action. The crowd was very hot for this match and both men just looked like stars. Neither guy came out looking weak and this match really left me wanting to see more, which I think was a goal of the match itself. The match ends in a DQ win for Bryan a little past the 15 minute mark after Chris Jericho comes down to ringside. As Bryan lies under the ring ropes recovering from a big kick from Punk, Jericho grabs him and tosses him hard into the security barrier. He then climbs into the ring and nails Punk with the Codebreaker. Since Jericho attacked Bryan first, Punk got DQ'd. Bryan smiled broadly afterword, screaming "Yes!!" and celebrated his victory over Punk. This was also a good way to start things off between Jericho & Punk. It was simple and it left no doubt as to Jericho's intentions. I'd love to see Punk & Bryan have a full blown feud somewhere down the line, especially if it led to matches like this. I didn't mind the ending at all as a pinfall or submission loss would've lowered the stock of either guy to some degree. Neither of them looked weak and, as I said, it just left us wanting to see more from these two. ****
4. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz - Prior to the match, R-Truth comes out on guest commentary and hearing some of his interactions with Cole was funny. As for the match itself, it was a good, solid match with a somewhat surprise ending. Miz & Kofi packed a good deal of action into the 5 minute match, which helped make the match feel longer. These are two men that will be in the Raw EC match at the EC ppv, so I'm hoping we'll see another match on next week's Raw between two more EC competitors. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise to score the win, which surprised me a little as I think this is the first time I've seen Kofi beat Miz. I'm also glad that they didn't have R-Truth interfere in the match. It wasn't necessary and it gave Kofi some nice momentum. **1/2
The Rock Video Package - They showed this at the Rumble event, but I enjoyed it more last night. It was a long video package and it can be annoying seeing those on a ppv. It was a different look at The Rock, a much more candid & behind the scenes sort of mini documentary that featured The Rock on the set of some of his movies, brief interviews with some people Rock has worked with on these movies, clips of The Rock while he was wrestling, etc. Just a nicely put together package all in all. Thumbs Up
5. Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres for the WWE Divas Championship - Please, just disban the Divas Vince and be done with it. This match lasted less than 1 minute, which just goes to show relevant Vince feels the Divas are. N/A
John Cena & Kane - After the match, Kane appears on the screen and threatens Eve and eventually pops up behind her. As he climbs into the ring, she sells her fear of Kane well. Cena's music hits and he runs to the ring where he & Kane get into a good brawl segment. I liked the story the brawl showed as well with Cena looking as though he was starting to embrace the hate. Cena was smiling wickedly as he repeatedly hit Kane with the ring steps. It fit in perfeclty with Kane's earlier comments about how Cena couldn't beat him and couldn't beat The Rock if he didn't embrace the hate. As Cena was beating Kane, he was getting a huge positive response from the live crowd. I couldn't hear any boos, just loud cheers as Cena unleashed this new darker side on Kane. Kane eventually runs off through the crowd while Cena poses a bit inside the ring. A nice glimpse of Cena moving forward and it makes me very interested to see how Cena ultimately turns out. Thumbs Up
Triple H, Big Johnny and The Undertaker - Johnny Ace came out with something of a worried look on his face. I enjoy that the WWE showed JL looking less and less confident in his ability to retain his job as the night went on. It was logical that someone be nervous as something like this creeps closer, so it worked out nicely. Triple H came out to a nice response and he had some good interaction with JL. I laughed my ass off when Trips mentioned the Kiss My Ass club and watching Big Johnny apply chapstick to his lips only made it funnier. Triple H's comment of, "You're really going to do it, aren't you, you freak?" got a great response from the crowd after JL dropped to his knees. Eventually, Triple H gets around to telling JL that he's about to be future endeavored when we hear that ominous gong. The Undertaker made his return last night to a huge pop from the live crowd. JL slithered out at some point and having Taker pop up is a good way of making sure that Trips had to avoide firing JL. As they did last year, Trips & Taker didn't say a word to each other and they didn't have to. They said more without saying anything than most wrestlers could if you gave them a half hour promo segment. I'm glad that they didn't do an exact repeat of last year's scenario. Taker looked as though he was challenging Trips to another match at WM, which is unusual as Taker has always been the guy that's been pursued. Triple H patting Taker on the shoulder and leaving left people wanting more as it looked as though Trips was declining Taker's challenge, so we'll have to wait and see how Taker forces Trips to accept. Overall, a great segment to close things off. Thumbs Up
Final Thoughts - Last night's Raw was about as damn near perfect as a show can get. Aside from the Diva match, Raw just delivered in every reasonable & measurable way. The two main promo segments were very good with Bryan & Punk having good interaction with each other. The closing promo segment delivered in a big way. It delivered some laughs and great storytelling with Taker's hot return. Wrestling action on the show was overall awesome. Orton & Ziggler put on another great match. Kofi & Miz put on a very solid match that had a surprise ending with Kofi scoring the clean win over Miz. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan was a phenomenal back and forth outing that made both men look like mega stars. It left us wanting more and I hope & pray that we get more from these two at some point down the line. I have little doubt that this match will be thought of as one of the best WWE matches of 2012. Having Jericho come out and attack Punk was a simple, logical way of letting people know Jericho's intentions and it cost Punk a win against the reigning WHC. Brodus Clay's match was nothing, but he was still entertaining doing his thing. The Cena & Kane segment was also very well done in my view and it's nice to see that they've started Cena down the road of truly embracing his hate. The EC ppv also got some good hype & build from the get go with the Raw EC match being announced with Cole & Lawler hyping the event throughout the night. All in all, just a fantastic show that'll probably be one of the best episodes of any wrestling program in 2012.
Grade: A
Opening Segment - Good, strong segment to start things off. Big Johnny coming out smiling and shaking hands with everyone had a good feel to it in that he did seem to be sucking up a little to everyone. His confidence at the beginning of things set things up nicely for Punk to come out. Punk insulted him for a bit while JL continued to smile, though you could sense under the surface that he was dying to lash out at Punk. Daniel Bryan coming out was a nice surprise and he continues to do a great job with this slow heel turn. He had some nice interaction with Punk and I like that they didn't try to overdo it. After all, these two are close and it's logical for there to be some tension between their characters when you consider how highly both men hold themselves as far as being "the best wrestler in the world". Bryan drew some really good heat, especially after referring to himself as a role model. A heel calling himself a role model is a great way to generate heat. The champ vs. champ match that JL set up had me very excited, especially when Punk & Bryan agreed to basically tear the house down. Thumbs Up
1. Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler - Another very good outing between these two. This was Orton's first match back and, if anything, he seemed very refreshed in my eyes. He just looked as if he not only hadn't lost a step but had actually gained a couple. They delivered some great action with some believable near falls scattered throughout the match. The match was a little over 11 minutes long, but it felt longer than that, and I mean that in a good way. Orton does eventually win after hitting the RKO. It would've been nice to see Ziggler go over here but I wasn't expecting it to happen. Orton simply isn't going to lose in his first match back. Ziggler still looked strong in defeat and I think we'll ultimately see Ziggler take the next big step forward come WrestleMania. ***1/4
Big Johnny Backstage - They showed a brief exchange with Johnny Ace backstage with a few people, including William Regal. Regal's comment about having conjoined twins in the fifth grade was hilarious, just classic Regal sense of humor, all while Big Johnny just kept smiling and said that was a tough year. I'm enjoying JL's antics thus far. Thumbs Up
2. Brodus Clay vs. Tyler Reks - More of the same with Clay getting the win in about a minute. Clay continues to get a great response from live crowds and I have to say that I'm enjoying Clay. He looks as though he's having a great time out there and he's really thrown himself into things. N/A
3. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan - This match was just plain phenomenal and delivered in every way it was intended. Punk & Bryan looked brilliant during this match and it delivered fantastic back and forth action. The crowd was very hot for this match and both men just looked like stars. Neither guy came out looking weak and this match really left me wanting to see more, which I think was a goal of the match itself. The match ends in a DQ win for Bryan a little past the 15 minute mark after Chris Jericho comes down to ringside. As Bryan lies under the ring ropes recovering from a big kick from Punk, Jericho grabs him and tosses him hard into the security barrier. He then climbs into the ring and nails Punk with the Codebreaker. Since Jericho attacked Bryan first, Punk got DQ'd. Bryan smiled broadly afterword, screaming "Yes!!" and celebrated his victory over Punk. This was also a good way to start things off between Jericho & Punk. It was simple and it left no doubt as to Jericho's intentions. I'd love to see Punk & Bryan have a full blown feud somewhere down the line, especially if it led to matches like this. I didn't mind the ending at all as a pinfall or submission loss would've lowered the stock of either guy to some degree. Neither of them looked weak and, as I said, it just left us wanting to see more from these two. ****
4. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz - Prior to the match, R-Truth comes out on guest commentary and hearing some of his interactions with Cole was funny. As for the match itself, it was a good, solid match with a somewhat surprise ending. Miz & Kofi packed a good deal of action into the 5 minute match, which helped make the match feel longer. These are two men that will be in the Raw EC match at the EC ppv, so I'm hoping we'll see another match on next week's Raw between two more EC competitors. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise to score the win, which surprised me a little as I think this is the first time I've seen Kofi beat Miz. I'm also glad that they didn't have R-Truth interfere in the match. It wasn't necessary and it gave Kofi some nice momentum. **1/2
The Rock Video Package - They showed this at the Rumble event, but I enjoyed it more last night. It was a long video package and it can be annoying seeing those on a ppv. It was a different look at The Rock, a much more candid & behind the scenes sort of mini documentary that featured The Rock on the set of some of his movies, brief interviews with some people Rock has worked with on these movies, clips of The Rock while he was wrestling, etc. Just a nicely put together package all in all. Thumbs Up
5. Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres for the WWE Divas Championship - Please, just disban the Divas Vince and be done with it. This match lasted less than 1 minute, which just goes to show relevant Vince feels the Divas are. N/A
John Cena & Kane - After the match, Kane appears on the screen and threatens Eve and eventually pops up behind her. As he climbs into the ring, she sells her fear of Kane well. Cena's music hits and he runs to the ring where he & Kane get into a good brawl segment. I liked the story the brawl showed as well with Cena looking as though he was starting to embrace the hate. Cena was smiling wickedly as he repeatedly hit Kane with the ring steps. It fit in perfeclty with Kane's earlier comments about how Cena couldn't beat him and couldn't beat The Rock if he didn't embrace the hate. As Cena was beating Kane, he was getting a huge positive response from the live crowd. I couldn't hear any boos, just loud cheers as Cena unleashed this new darker side on Kane. Kane eventually runs off through the crowd while Cena poses a bit inside the ring. A nice glimpse of Cena moving forward and it makes me very interested to see how Cena ultimately turns out. Thumbs Up
Triple H, Big Johnny and The Undertaker - Johnny Ace came out with something of a worried look on his face. I enjoy that the WWE showed JL looking less and less confident in his ability to retain his job as the night went on. It was logical that someone be nervous as something like this creeps closer, so it worked out nicely. Triple H came out to a nice response and he had some good interaction with JL. I laughed my ass off when Trips mentioned the Kiss My Ass club and watching Big Johnny apply chapstick to his lips only made it funnier. Triple H's comment of, "You're really going to do it, aren't you, you freak?" got a great response from the crowd after JL dropped to his knees. Eventually, Triple H gets around to telling JL that he's about to be future endeavored when we hear that ominous gong. The Undertaker made his return last night to a huge pop from the live crowd. JL slithered out at some point and having Taker pop up is a good way of making sure that Trips had to avoide firing JL. As they did last year, Trips & Taker didn't say a word to each other and they didn't have to. They said more without saying anything than most wrestlers could if you gave them a half hour promo segment. I'm glad that they didn't do an exact repeat of last year's scenario. Taker looked as though he was challenging Trips to another match at WM, which is unusual as Taker has always been the guy that's been pursued. Triple H patting Taker on the shoulder and leaving left people wanting more as it looked as though Trips was declining Taker's challenge, so we'll have to wait and see how Taker forces Trips to accept. Overall, a great segment to close things off. Thumbs Up
Final Thoughts - Last night's Raw was about as damn near perfect as a show can get. Aside from the Diva match, Raw just delivered in every reasonable & measurable way. The two main promo segments were very good with Bryan & Punk having good interaction with each other. The closing promo segment delivered in a big way. It delivered some laughs and great storytelling with Taker's hot return. Wrestling action on the show was overall awesome. Orton & Ziggler put on another great match. Kofi & Miz put on a very solid match that had a surprise ending with Kofi scoring the clean win over Miz. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan was a phenomenal back and forth outing that made both men look like mega stars. It left us wanting more and I hope & pray that we get more from these two at some point down the line. I have little doubt that this match will be thought of as one of the best WWE matches of 2012. Having Jericho come out and attack Punk was a simple, logical way of letting people know Jericho's intentions and it cost Punk a win against the reigning WHC. Brodus Clay's match was nothing, but he was still entertaining doing his thing. The Cena & Kane segment was also very well done in my view and it's nice to see that they've started Cena down the road of truly embracing his hate. The EC ppv also got some good hype & build from the get go with the Raw EC match being announced with Cole & Lawler hyping the event throughout the night. All in all, just a fantastic show that'll probably be one of the best episodes of any wrestling program in 2012.
Grade: A
