Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[HBK-aholic]

That was the best Raw I've seen in a while. It kept me entertained, and I could watch it again without getting bored.

The highlight was obviously the Hardy and Orton match. The two really put together a good match. And the ending was something we haven't seen in a while. You've got to respect the wrestlers after seeing something like that. Anything could have gone seriously wrong.

Everybody knew Shawn was going to win his match. But I really enjoyed the ending. I expected the Sweet Chin Music, as did everyone I'm sure, and was pleasantly surprised

I like the differences Raw had, lets hope it continues. And Triple H made me laugh, didn't expect him to go that mad.

 

[Ozz]

Give Jeff the belt, even if it's only for a month or two. I understand that he's probably not a 'long term champ' but for crying outloud, the guy deserves a run. I got chills last night when I saw that and I haven't gotten chills from wrestling in quite some time. Give Jeff the belt!!!

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Give Jeff the belt, even if it's only for a month or two. I understand that he's probably not a 'long term champ' but for crying outloud, the guy deserves a run. I got chills last night when I saw that and I haven't gotten chills from wrestling in quite some time. Give Jeff the belt!!!

If that gave you chills, you should find some Shane McMahon videos, those will down right make you piss yourself then.

Raw was good, I'll just give a quick run down of everything, & I'll debate on making a recap later.

The "mini Royal Rumble" left me in downright tears. I loved it so much, & when Khali's music hit, I knew it wasn't going to be a mini version. I think, however, that Khali's days are completely numbered because he's completely being owned by Finlay on a weekly basis anymore.

Triple H. v. Snitsky went way longer than it should've, & Trip's anger management definately needs to be controlled.. if he's gonna go all psycho, then do it on someone like Snitsky, leave the poor helpless video screen alone.

Also, whats with Triple H. getting another shot at entering the Royal Rumble? I've heard rumors or thoughts that he could face Big Show.. but seriously, I see it being another match against Ric Flair, or worse.. Triple H. v. Hornswoggle. I definately see it being against Hornswoggle, for Horney's spot.

Not sure what to make of the divas anymore. I just think W.W.E. doesn't know how to manage their Women'd Division, so they just toss them together in endless 6-diva tag matches.

Unfortunately, I missed the H.B.K. match, although I've heard he won via submission.. so I'll definately have to rewind the tape to see this. Gotta admit, I was disappointed that it wasn't from the sharpshooter though. I think it'd serve him well to take that over. Afterall, noone else is using it anymore.

Finally.. Jeff Hardy v. Randy Orton.. the match was a straight kick to the nuts, & a bell. It would've been so much greater, had they had title v. title at the Rumble. Then, & only then would I of actually thought Jeff had a legit chance.

Also, his leap from the top of whatever it was from.. come on, when they kept replaying it, showing the angle where the refs had to jump in front of the camera, as to cover up Orton moving under Hardy, & Hardy slightly getting up to lay across him. I dispised that so much. The original leap at the full speed shot of everything was amazing. They shouldn't of replayed it from the one angle though..

 

[jpfizzle]

the ending to raw was one of the most breath-taking things i've seen in wrestling for quite some time, the image of jeff hardy doing the swanton of the staging has stayed in my mind and made a permanant impression on me as wrestling can do to one every now and again.

like every raw there was many ups, and also a few downs which i will try to sum up quickly as i dont like to dwell on them... triple h smashing the staging was too theatrical, it annoys me that ideas like this which have the potential to be such good segments seem rushed and put together last minute, if this was planned better and maybe followed the idea that less is more, the image of trips smashing the tron would have been quite somthing.... it has just occured to me that this segment took place in order to make way for the new stage for next weeks raw in hd.

i am really quite intrigued to find out the meaning of the deal between finlay and vince, also i am intrested as to who will be triple h's opponent next week.. also although the result of the hbk match was predictable the figure four looked fantastic, i thought for a minute he was going to try the sharpshooter.

all in all i give raw a B + for this week, quite high, made higher by the ending

 

[Rusty]

On with my weekly Raw report.....

Opening segment was good but not great, how many times does Jeff need to say "Im gonna take you out Randy".

Match #1 - Beth Phoenix, Melina & Jillian def. Mickie James, Ashley & Maria.
The usual 6 divas tag match, I was entertained and in all honesty who wouldnt be entertained by the chicks??? Rating *1/4

Match #2 - Shawn Michaels def. Trevor Murdoch (Royal Rumble qualifying match).
Pretty much a filler but it wasnt that bad of a match. Predictability hurt this match because everyone knew HBK was gonna win. However the leg lock was a pleasant surprise IMO. Rating **1/4

Match #3 - Snitsky def. Triple H by Disqualification.
Surprisingly match of the night IMO. Snitsky really did shock me, he looked good out there. I thought it was a decent match. HHH going nuts after the match was pretty cool but I never knew breaking a big screen would cause all this explosion. It could have been a bit more realistic. Rating **3/4

JBL segment was good but I jst dont find him to be that entertaining in all honesty. The storyline is quite pathetic since all Y2J did was give JBL a little love tap. Last weeks segment involving these 2 was good but I find JBL a little boring on the mic sometimes.

Match #4 - Hornswoggle def. mini-Mr. Kennedy, mini-Mankind, mini-Batista and mini-Kane.
Not really a match but it was damn funny and entertaining. Mini Kennedy and Batista looked hilarious IMO. Hornswoggle actually looked good wrestling superstars his size lol. Rating(on humour mainly) **

Match #5 - Ric Flair def. William Regal.
There was no way a 4 minute match(2 of those 4 minutes was commercial) was going to be Flairs last. No way was Regal going to defeat Flair and retire him NO WAY! This match was jst a plain filler, the mini Royal Rumble got more time than what this did. *1/2

Match #6 - Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton (No contest).
The match itself couldnt have been longer than 5 seconds. But the segment after the match was amazing. 30 ft high Swanton I think it was. Absolutely amazing, something could have seriously gone wrong there, but thankfully it didnt!
Rating (based on segment) ****

Overall an above average Raw. The matches jst werent that good though. The segments were great especially the final one but there wasnt a match that stood out IMO. Match of the night goes to Triple H vs Snitsky but even that match was a great one. People watch SD because of the good wrestling and it proves that Smackdown shuld be called 'The wrestling show' as this Raw didnt have good wrestling. Final Rating - ***

 

[relik]

My beefs with RAW this week. Some should tell Vinny Mac that tearing a screen doesn't involve an explosion. Hell, Stone Cold destroyed the Titantron once with a long sharp metal object once and the titantron didn't have explosion like electrical equipment was destroyed. Vince unless you were watching a tv monitor, how did you know HHH was going to destroy that little screen, just wondering? Gee was Kennedy's segment taped this week???? Isn't there a display button someone could've pressed to avoid the timer from showing up at the bottom of that segment.

OK now with I liked. Jeff Hardy actually had a decent promo IMO he's getting much better, granted it's not upper echelon (i.e. HHH, HBK or Flair) promo work but getting better. My only complaint with it is that when he's trying to sound intimidating it helps if well you know, actually sound intimidating. I liked the new submission move HBK used on a predictable match. I think Flair and Regal should've had mroe time for their match because I would imagine a match between 2 wrestlers as those 2 could've been MOTN. Jeff's swanton off the light structure was incredible. Made up for an average show. Sucks he won't be winning the title but I'll enjoy watching him in the spotlight for as long as it lasts.

 

[mdent28]

Wow.... so I think the HBK vs. Kennedy match (1/21 Raw) was actually one the best matches I have seen in a long time. I actually enjoyed it and didn't think it was 100% predictable like most matches are. Very cool.....

 

[avrice]

HBK Kennedy was a good match long and the new set was very vibrant and alive!!! another Beth Win over M J boring but if you want a title win to mean something you have someone hold it for a while give it some meaning and then have them lose it in a close match on PPV. Why have Hornswaggle(sp) at all he just is there like Eugene was cept Eugene could actually wrestle believably. To be Honest I lost interest in RAW then they had so many flashbacks to 2 weeks ago and last week etc. like they are afraid that everyone is gonna screw up on the first HD Broadcast so they hold everyone back? HHH vs a Mystery Opp. was wel done I like how they held off for a while make you want to know who it is was it Big Show was it Bobby Lashley was it Ron Killings , RVD? It is my wish they wrestle more and talk less the less time some of these guys have infront of the camera the less they can be probed in HD... just a thought if you had good action and more action who cares what people look like , look at Ron Jeremy in the Adult Industry he didn't look good at all but gave all action and nothing but haha

 

[a7xoff]

Alright everyone here I go again with this Raw review thing. In my opinion there were wayyyy to many promo videos and promos tonight. I don't know wether or not WWE was still trying to work out some of the HD stuff with all the videos, but the amount was not needed to help the show. I give tonight's show a 2.5 out of 5. Kennedy vs HBK was really a great match. Back and forth, and actually a little unpredictable. I figured HBK would win, but I was not sure as to when after Kennedy ducked out of 2 Sweet Chin Music attempts. Best Kennedy match I've seen in a while. Mabey he's finally getting it back together a little. Mickie James vs Beth Pheonix was a pretty good match as well. It does not matter how many times we see it, I still say that that is the best Women's Match that WWE can do right now, and for the most part they are great matches. Then came two filler matches between Kendrick and Umaga as well as Holly vs Carlito... Both matches were not impressive. Then came HHH... 3 man gauntlet match including Snitsky, Mark Henry, and Regal??? Why? what was the point? I'd rather have watched Snitsky vs HHH again then have to have an extra 5 minutes of my life wasted on waiting for Regal to call out Snitsky and Henry b4 going insane and running down to the ring... Then we have Jeff Hardy owning RKO...AGAIN... Why has Orton been made to look like an incredibly weak champ?

Best Match: Kennedy vs HBK

Funniest Moment: Santino talking about cows and milk...

Worst Match: Gauntlet Match with HHH

Overall Thoughts: Got excited during the first two matches, thought it was going to be a good show... then it died...

 

[Grubbs0621]

Some of the promos were good, others I wanted to stab one of my eyes out.

Positives: The HBK and Kennedy match was pure gold. I enjoyed the Beth and Mickie James match. As well, the first part of Raw really had me excited. I enjoyed the Santino cut backstage (lmao), and even enjoyed Vince/RKO and Vince/Hardy talks, they were brief and to the point. Even the Rhodes/Kendrick segment I enoyed. (Cause we all know that is the way Holly REALLY is, ha)

Negatives: The Umaga/Kendrick and Holly/Carlito. Both horrible. The Finlay/Hornswoggle vs Highlanders was better than the previous two matches mentioned, but not by much. I was bored as hell during the HHH interview (did we really have to have him promote the HD stuff, talk about clearity and then zoom in as far as we could?), and the Y2J promo found me drifting off.

Undecided: I didnt see the HHH match, well the 3 of them. I had to leave for work and got here in time to watch the ending segment. From reading about it though, I would bump it up into the negatives, but I've got to see it to say it for sure.

And the Screw Ups: The RKO/Hardy feud has been great, until tonight. They needed to give Orton one night on top of Hardy. Seriously, Hardy had the clean win in the tag match, the steel cage where he made Orton look like a fool, the now infamous Swanton last week, and this weeks twist of fate. Orton has only had one "up" on Hardy, and it was on a different Hardy! RKO really needed a strong night tonight.

Overall: 2.8/5

Not quite a 3, more than a 2.5. The HBK/Kennedy match really did a lot for me as did the Beth Phoenix/MJ match.

 

[acma18]

I enjoyed tonights RAW. My favorite match was HBK/Kennedy..Did anyone else hear Kennedy ask Shawn if he was alright after he went over the top rope or was that just me? I actually thought that Kennedy was going to win this one, so i was happy with the results. I think my least favorite was Finley/Hornswoggle vs. the highlanders. I just didn't see the point honestly. The HHH match itself didn't bother me, but i definitely don't think it lived up to the hype of the mystery opponent,but then again why bring Big Show back just to lose his first match? I like Hardy getting the upper hand on Randy, because i think it's fairly certain that Jeff isn't going to win at the Rumble so might as well give him the advantage somewhere. Some of the promos were good, some bad, but I'm looking forward to the Rumble.

 

[Tommy Boy]

I agree the Kennedy/HBK match was a great match....Anyone else notice that(probably because of the HD) HBK came out with an extra patch of hair attatched to the top of his head?...I noticed immedietly due to the HD and Kennedy actually tore it off and through it out of the ring when it started to come detatched.

I defenitly like the new HD presentation aswell....gonna take a couple months before all the looks back at the non-HD are done.

 

[Meilichia]

I found Raw rather disappointing this week. HBK was again for two weeks in a row, seemingly more happy in the ring, which was entertaining, and the match was a decent match. The match between Mickie James and Beth Pheonix was pretty good, a few mistakes but it was still a good match, the storyline with that is what annoys me, its the same storyline as always, the bigger wrestler keeps winning and the smaller one then overcomes them because they have heart. They need to be a little bit more creative with mixed size matches.
Santino's back stage segment was enjoyable too, but they really need to do something with this storyline, its moving very slowly, and both Carlito and Santino need more mic time if you ask me.
I didn't mind the end segment, with Jeff and Orton, because it just showed Jeff is slowly improving on the mic, and he is getting more of a character, and I found it quite funny, he kept having to tell people to move, and he said it too close to the mic.
Other than that, the other parts of Raw where a let down, they could have done a lot more with the Triple H qualifying match/es. The match with Holly and Carlito could have been far more interesting, they don't seem to be using any of the 4 wrestlers involved half as much as they should be.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill's 'take' on Monday Night Raw: February 18th, 2008:

Opening Promo: Triple H. enters, unfortunately in my opinion he'll never be as good as he was back during the 2000-2001 era, with the Leather/Jean jacket and the real badass look/feel to him. He cuts a decent promo about being the number one contender, and of course that enters.. Randy Orton. Orton, who then cuts a promo about how everything has come full circle. And I really got lost on whether Orton meant full circle from No Mercy of last year, or full circle to when the Orton/HHH feud really all began in 2004. Anyways, Orton runs his mouth about beating everyone.. which then brings us to.. John Cena.

Of course everyone knew Cena would somehow find a way to come out, continuing to stay in the Championship picture.. when the fact is.. dispite never losing completely, he still didn't win, and that should've been it. Cut and dry, no second chance. Then again, when refering to Cena, the guy has an unlimited amount of chances.. its like he has a bag with Main Event spots. He can just randomly reach in and pull one out.

Finally, Regal makes the Main Event. Orton v. Cena, if Cena wins we get the Triple Threat match that'd been rumored since shortly after the Royal Rumble. Yay! I'm happy W.W.E. catches up with the rest of us, only took them about a month.

The Matches:

1. Money In The Bank Qualifying: Jeff Hardy v. Snitsky: Jeff Hardy comes out first to *new* theme music. Of course he's gotta win now. The only good thing about this entire match, is that it wasn't completely predictable. Hardy truly sold his Elimination Chamber injuries, and made Snitsky look very dominating. I like that, especially since Snitsky's being pushed nowhere fast.

The reason I say this wasn't completely predictable, is because sadly Snitsky really could've been a random name in a 6-8 man ladder match. Just because he's in it, obviously doesn't mean he'd win it. But seriously, look at the previous MITB matches and tell me if you felt every single guy in each one, had a legit chance for winning. No, the answer is no. Therefore, thankfully Jeff Hardy picks up the victory.. meaning one thing is definate at Wrestlemania.. we're gonna see daredevil leaping off ladders.. at its best!

2. Paul Burchill w/ Katie Lea v. Super Crazy: I really didn't get to watch the match. It was over before it really started anyways though. Burchill in a squash, its just a shame whats happening with Super Crazy. He'd be much better served jumping to T.N.A.

And as far as the Incest angle goes. I really don't want a two month slow build to this, if they're doing it.. I wish they'd just completely jump into it.

3. Money In The Bank Qualifying: Mr. Kennedy v. Val Venis: Seriously, Val f'n Venis?! Why not just have Kennedy randomly pick a fan to squash?! Who the hell qualified Val Venis and even being a random contender for the Money in the Bank?! Its for a chance to win a Championship match, but I suppose someone didn't clearify to Venis, it really meant WORLD Championship.. not midcard.

Kennedy goes over in a match that never should've happened. This is how they allow Kennedy to redeem losing to Flair? Squashing a has-been? Nice.

4. Steel Cage: Mr. McMahon v. Hornswoggle: I love midget violence. Seriously, I'm warped in the head, but I laughed my ass off the entire way through this match. Theres just something about seeing a midget rag-dolled around the ring for 10 minutes, and randomly bouncing off the cage and the mat, that brings laughter out of you.

Also, J.B.L.?! Does Chris Jericho know his feuds apparently over? Because short of J.B.L. and Mr. McMahon v. Chris Jericho and Finlay at Wrestlemania, I really don't see Jericho/J.B.L. anymore at all.

What I do see, however, is either Finlay v. J.B.L. (snoozefest) or Finlay and Hornswoggle v. J.B.L. and McMahon. (glorified handicap at its finest!)

5. Maria v. Beth Phoenix: So, the match was made in the attempt for Santino to keep Maria out of the magazine I'm sure she's already shot pictures for. Yeah. Anyways, this is quite possibly one of the worst things they could've done for or rather against the Women's Champion.

Candice Michelle returns, which was nice. It'll build that horrible single's match up for Wrestlemania, and in the process, they allowed a Diva to go over a Women's WRESTLING Champion, all for the ability to pose nude in a magazine. Isn't it nice, how they tie all that together?

One main question. What happened to Mickie James and her wanting to win storyline? Any chance of a Triple Threat match for the Women's Championship, with Mickie coming out on top? Doubtful, but the 3-way might still be possible.

The Promos:

1. Hall of Fame Induction: Ric Flair: So, Shawn Michaels comes out to get the pleasure and honor of introducing the first inductee into the 2008 Hall of Fame.. Ladies and Gentlemen, its.. someone who ISN'T YET RETIRED!? Seriously, what the **** I mean COME ON! This is the biggest crock of shit to me ever. The Hall of Fame is, or rather SHOULD BE, restricted for guys who are at least mainly retired.. and if at all, only wrestle on a limited basis.

NOT, for guys who are currently on a winning streak, and appearing for the most part each week. I'm ONLY assuming this is either building up to Shawn Michaels v. Ric Flair - Hall of Fame match at Wrestlemania, or they're giving us one hell of a spoiler by letting us know Flair will end up retiring before, or at Wrestlemania.. since he's being inducted and all. Finally, I can ONLY hope its one or the other, because if a miracle happens and Flair ends up winning at Mania.. the entire Hall of Fame induction ordeal, and quite honestly, the legacy of the Hall of Fame to begin with.. will be destroyed through my eyes.

Why?! Because the Hall of Fame is meant for guys who are retired, done, over and mainly not wrestling, if at all. Not for guys who still compete on a weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly basis.

2. Triple H./Randy Orton backstage: Orton tries to basically get Triple H. to screw John Cena out of the match. (which for the record, even if that did happen, we'd only be prolonging the undeniable) Triple H. explains roughly to Orton that you can't play mind-games with the guy who taught you how to play them.. Orton leaves.. Triple H's expression changes.. looks like he could play them after all.

3. Big Show/Mayweather II: Big Show is asked to apologize for getting his nose broken. Classic stuff, in my opinion. So, once again we get the pre-build to Boxer v. Wrestler. Mayweather slinks in and out of the ring, almost like a heel. (notice how he backs out under the bottom ropes?!) Yada, yada, hand shake.. assumed exit.. Show begins talking again..

Show runs his mouth about how Mayweather could only do something when Show was on his knees, and that Mayweather couldn't beat Show or rather Show could weather (haha weather) Floyd in 2 minutes. Sounds to me like we're gonna have a boxing exhibition match at Wrestlemania, with 2 minutes being the length?

You know my favorite part of this whole storyline? Big Show is playing the heel.. the heel thats being cheered. Floyd Mayweather is playing the face.. the face that not only gets booed, but also that brings 10 guys with him everywhere he goes, and suddenly doesn't act scared when they're surrounding him. uh huh.

The Main Event: John Cena v. Randy Orton w/ Triple H. as the Special Ref: So, Cena/Orton what, like 6, 7? Lost count. Anyways, the match is basically punches and kicks.. again. A couple body slams, more kicks to random body parts. Signature moves. NOTHING out of Triple H. to question how he'll react to Cena winning or losing.

Moving ahead.. Cena locks in the STFU, Orton glares at Triple H., then finally reaches the ropes. Cena refuses (let me reclearify, the FACE refuses) to break until right around a 4 count. tisk, tisk, tisk. Triple H. tells Cena that when he says break, he means break. Cena then gets in Triple H's face.. (let me reclearify, the FACE gets in the official's face) tisk, tisk, tisk. Orton rushes in, F-U.. Triple H. counts normally to three.. Cena's done it again.

Ah ha! Pedigree, is Triple H. suddenly heel? I don't think so, I think it was more of a point in saying.. even though you're in the match, I'm still going to beat you too. Thus would be the indication when he does the exact same thing to Randy Orton. The show then ends, and Triple H. is left holding up the Championship. Sign of things to come? Hopefully.

Overall Thoughts: Randomly, where was Chris Jericho, Umaga, the Tag Team division, Carlito and Mickie James?! Seriously, Raw was lacking some major star power on their first official Raw to Wrestlemania.

Each match was a definate one sided affair. The Money in the Bank qualifier matches were both crap, and it was clear to realistically see which of the two opponents would go over. Especially regarding Mr. Kennedy.

I understand the need to push Paul Burchill, but why? Sometimes I sit and question what they're even doing, bothering with a storyline such as this.. when ultimately, where will it lead? Seriously? Any type of Championship match? Doubtful. So whats the purpose of giving him all this air time, in squash matches.

Regarding John Cena yet again finding a way into the Main Event at Wrestlemania, or any Pay Per View for that matter.. its not that I "hate" John Cena, I don't hate him. I just can't understand how he keeps getting all the Championship matches, when its becoming clear that the fans are cheering louder and louder for a guy like Jeff Hardy.. and they're beginning to really boo the shit out of a guy like John Cena. If you turn Cena heel, it'd be understandable in keeping him in the Main Event.. but they aren't. They're still allowing him to remain the "top" face, and its pointless in my opinion.

The show itself sucked for being directly after a Pay Per View.. and all Raw's leading up to Wrestlemania in the final stages, shouldn't suck. Because of the lack of star quality actually wrestling, thats why the card, the night, and the show sucked. Rating: 3/10

 

[Lashley07]

Im sorry, but is it me, or was the crowd last night rubbish? I can't remember the last time there was such a dull crowd! HHH hardly got a pop, Hardy hardly got anything, Kennedy got nothing, everyone got nothing except John Cena.

I think this is because the arena is full of 6 year olds with high pitched voices saying "Go Cena, go!". And then you get the ladies who just plain fancy him. Both these sets of fans just pop when Cena is around, and then sit there in silence for the entire night. (Not all women are like the above).

Mayweather got nothing when he came out, a tiny bit of heat. That was it. Hell, if that was in NYC, the roof would have come off! Especially for the Big Show. I feel the fans of today have really changed, and there are only about 10% of the crowd, which were around in the attitude era.

So my question to you, what can we do to improve the crowd?

My plan, you must be 16 or over to enter. Hell, im sure the great parents out there don't want their kids looking at Maria up n down do they?

 

[Scrapyard Ape]

So my question to you, what can we do to improve the crowd?

Dud crowds happen. Not much that can be done about it except to try and improve the product. Hand-picking who could attend their events in order ensure a lively audience would only serve to alienate the fanbase... a sure-fire kiss of death.

 

[Skullz Crack'Em]

I do agree that last night's crowd was dull and very quiet, but they didn't get a very good show either so I wouldn't blame them for their lack of enthusiasm. Jericho didn't have a match, Umaga didn't have a match, HBK didn't have a match, and Trips was only the special ref in the main event so the only big match was Cena vs Orton and that was utter crap IMO. The rest of the night was filled with the most predictable MITB qualifying matches ever with Snitsky vs Jeff and Val vs Kennedy, then there was Paul Burchill's squash match against Super Crazy and Vince's precious cage match against Hornswoggle, and in the end there was no reason for that to be a cage match in the first place unless you think JBL hitting Hornswoggle against the cage twice was that important. And to top it all off, JR and King was totally lost last night, they would keep pausing and could barely finish their sentences as if they heard some horrible news before going on air last night and they couldn't concentrate. One of the worst RAWs of 2008 IMO.

 

[a7xoff]

Raw in my opinion: Major let down coming off a PPV.

Opening segment: Nothing we haven't seen before with the number 1 contender talking, the champ interupting, and the loser from the previous match interrupting him. Nothing new there at all. Set up for what would be a rather bland special ref. match.

Hardy vs Snitsky: Utter waste of time. No point in having Snitsky going over, but good job on Jeff's part to sell off his chamber injuries. Jeff won and still made it look good, even though he only had Snitsky to work with.

Paul Birchill vs Super Crazy: Quick, but nessecary squash... Look to see a few more before the incest storyline picks up...

Mr. Kennedy vs Val Venis: Biggest waste of time of the night. Honestly what the Hell was WWE thinking, I like Val, but I don't think one person in that crowd through he had a chance...

Hornswoggle vs Vince Steel Cage: I'm all for the Hornswoggle angle, and I thought Finlay's acting was the best part of the whole damn segment. Anyway, another real waste of time. JBL runs in kicks the crap outta Horny and that's that. I see a possible tag match between Vince and JBL vs Finlay and Horny.

Maria vs Beth Pheonix: Wow... Just wow... Complete and utter stupidity to have Maria go over here... We all knew that she would be in playboy, but this'll probably make her #1 contender...

Cena vs Orton: Honestly I did not watch this match. With HHH as the ref. I figured either it'll go Cena's way or be called right down the middle. I tuned back in just as Cena Fu'ed Orton (thanks Luther) for the win. I enjoyed HHH pedigree to Cena, hoping for a heel turn, but then he hit Orton with one so I dunno.

Promos: Overall the promos were rather bland. Flair into the HOF without being retired confuses me. Big Show by far had the best segment with Mayweather.

Afterthought: Where was most ofthe tv talent... IE: Carlito, Y2J, Umaga, Mickie James, Melina, the whole tag team division...

 

[RKO Orton]

Well, since this thread hasn't been posted in in a while I've decided to review the past Smackdown.

Edge-Undertaker opening segment was good, Edge telling everyone he isn't scared, but then once the Undertaker has him in Chokeslam position he runs away scared. He played his part well there. That's what's so good about Edge, he does the things that make you mad. That's what makes him a good heel. I give the segment 4 of 4 stars.

Next I believe it was the Shelton-Wang Yang match for a Money In The Bank opportunity at WrestleMania. Shelton really needed to move away from RAW because he was buried the months before when he was there. Now he is finally getting his chance in the spotlight and put on a good match with Wang Yang. When Wang hit that crossbody on Shelton I thought it was over, but I'm glad Shelton won because that means he's going to WrestleMania. I'd give it 3 stars out of 4. One of the better matches I've seen on WWE programming lately, along with Hardy-HBK match.

After was Jesse & Festus vs. D&D. Decent match, with Jesse and Festus getting the win pretty quickly. I like what Smackdown does with their Tag-Team division, unlike RAW, they showcase their talent for 15-20 minutes. I also like that they have Festus freak out once the bell rings but goes dumb right after it rings. I give this match 2 out of 4 stars.

Next up was Big Daddy V vs. Shannon Moore. This was my bathroom break. They only problem with the WWE having Wang Yang in a singles match is that means his teammate is going to get squashed. I actually liked that tag-team because they were two cruiserweights that were taking advantage of their opportunity as a Tag-Team. Hopefully they bring back the Cruiserweight Title so at least Shannon Moore could fight against guys equal size. Either way this was a boring match so I give 1/2 out of 4 stars.

After the boring squash match its a MVP-Batista rematch from last week. I personally loved their match last week and I think they could put on a good feud for WrestleMania for the US Title. Batista isn't doing anything important anyways, unless he is fighting Flair which I think should belong to HBK. I also think it would be a great way to push MVP to Main Event status if he feuded with Batista. The match was good and Batista won after a Batista bomb. I give it 2 1/2 stars. It wasn't as good as their match last week, but good nevertheless.

Kane-Khali was next on tap. I really don't know why Khali and Big Daddy V were in the Elimination Chamber over Kane except for that they wanted more heels then just MVP in it. Pretty average match with Kane getting the surprising pinfall on Khali when Khali had the Vice Grip on. Even if Khali's shoulders were up I like seeing Kane getting a win once in a while. Average 2 out of 4 stars.

Chuck Palumbo against something Jackson. I didn't catch the first name. Boring match featuring a boring wrestler (Palumbo) probably the worst match of the night just because Palumbo is less exciting then paint dry. 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Finally we have Mysterio cut a promo about his bicep. When is Vicki going to get out of that wheelchair anyways? Vicki comes out and says that Mysterio injured her on purpose. She then has him face ECW Champion Chavo Guererro in a non-title match. People may say Mysterio is overrated, but I absolutely love his matches that he has. Mysterio gets a win by a move off of the top rope, I forget. Big Show then comes out, steps on Rey's arm, and gives his about a 10 second chokeslam, just holding him in the air. Even though I thought it was kind of wierd that Mysterio was in the Main Event I give it a 3 out of 4 stars.

Overall a decent show, I liked the first few segments and the Main Event. The middle was just blah. Pretty good Smackdown show. Give the total show 3 out of 4 stars because even though they had 2 squash matches the Benjamin-Wang Yang, Batista-MVP, Edge-Undertaker segment, and Mysterio-Guerrero match evened it out.

 

[Chaze2k1]

Wow this idea for the 3 hour Raw is a great idea but something tell me not every match will be a rematch from a previous WM. As if they are then they didnt there research very well or there are some old stars coming back just for one night. Unless there are going to do the MITB, or not going to have all 3 ppl from a triple threat match then we are looking at dud here.

Some matches that might happen:
HHH possible opponets- Taker, Y2J, Batista, Kane, Cena
Cena- JBL, HHH, Show, HBK
HBK- Vince, Cena, Y2J
Taker- Orton, HHH, Flair, Kane, Henry, Batista
Edge-Foley?

If anyone else can come up with any do tell.

 

[klunderbunker]

This could actually have some potential to be a good show. Wrestlemania matches for the most part are pretty good.

I think they said it was tribranded, so you can throw in kane vs. taker or khali, taker vs show, flair, hhh, orton, and i'm probably forgetting a ton.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Didn't they do a version of this last year? I'm sure this show will throw up more intresting matches than Mania will this year.

The only problem I see is some of the potential matches. I doubt WWE will want to give away really good matches. So we'll probably get Taker vs. Henry, Cena vs. JBL etc. Big matches. But ones that wont deliver. Or I might be wrong and we'll get HHH vs. Taker again.

 

[klunderbunker]

I had forgotten about taker and henry. It does however sounds better than what we saw this past week. HHH and Taker sounds pretty good no matter how you say it. Some of those other matches on the other hand just sound dull. I do remember somethign like this last year. It wasn't bad, but not as good as it could've been.

 

[chick_magnet_skunk]

I see a Cena vs. HHH match next week with the possibility of Randy Orton taking over to pick the main event as per the Triple Threat Takeover.

Also, I think we'll get a HBK vs. Y2J match from WM 19...

They did mention CM Punk in the preview and since he's wrestled in the MITB from WM 23, I see a Money in the Bank redux involving Punk, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Edge, and Finlay, omitting Orton, Booker (obviously), and Matt Hardy.

The possibilities are endless.

 

[relik]

Boy oh boy did RAW suck this week. That opening segment with Big Show was horrible. Just give him a real feud please and not this Mayweather crap. Also don't let Mayweather talk on the mic again, please. HBK & Flair against Cade and Murdoch was an alright match, nothing spectactular and short. Good promo by HBK after the match. If you blinked during the Umaga and Super Crazy squash of a match you would've missed it then. Highlight reel, was probably my favorite thing of the night other Carlito's commerical. Good promo cut Y2J, Hardy continues to improve on the mic but still sucks. I like the fact that he twist of fated Y2J to prove that he really wants to win the MITB match, I don't think it was to start a heel turn. To anyone that saw it, that Carlito/Maria Wrestlemainia commerical was awesome I thought, very funny and entertaining. Cena didn't use the 5 moves of doom to win, which is a plus I guess, his match with Kennedy wasn't bad just average. Carlito vs. Cody Rhodes was a good match for the 2 of them I thought, nothing memorable but solid. Cody sold that backstabber pretty damn well I thought. This whole Hornswoggle thing has run it's course and should be ended now. The main event did nothing for me, except I like seeing Orton RKO Cena.