Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[JGlass]

You really liked it? This was one of the worst RAWs in a while in my opinion, and I'm not usually one to come out and rip on the show.

The show started great for me with that chaotic opening segment, and I got so excited when I saw MVP making his way to the ring, even if it was to throw a few punches and then get rolled out. The match Vicki proposed sounded interesting, but I had a bad feeling about it...

The new Matt Hardy character is very hate-able, and I like that! What I don't like is when the WWE thinks we're idiots. They drive it into our skulls that Cena CAN'T wrestle because he is not medically cleared, but Matt Hardy can? Is he medically cleared with a broken hand and we're supposed to know that?

The MVP match was eh, I'll admit I didn't pay that close attention to it until Regal attacked him. I'm tired of William Regal getting bored and attacking people, but at least he's someone MVP can have a decent feud with. I totally overlooked him as a possible contender for the title.

I'm never a fan of diva matches, but I think Maryse deserves more credit than she gets.

Batista vs DiBiase was stupid. I get that he's the animal, and sometimes he can't be controlled, but getting DQ'd in the corner? They should have made him do something much more vicious. Also, Batista is supposed to be an unstoppable force that can beat giants like Undertaker and Big Show, shouldn't he be able to crush Orton's lackeys in no time at all?

The Miz segment was ok, but too long. I really hate it when a promo needs a commercial break. And then having Cena come out to be beaten up by the Big Show was kind of lame. Think The Miz will try again next week?

TBK vs Carlito was pointless. Let's see more tag matches with Carlito and Primo! Then again, I guess you need tag teams in order to have tag team matches...

This main event was so awful that I could write a single thread on how horrible it was for me. First of all, nobody should believe Shane can keep up with two goons and the WWE Champion at the same time. Hell, nobody should believe he can keep up with Orton by himself, yet, there were times where it looked like he might win the match.

My next major problem was the whole announce table spot. It was horribly done. You could see Orton on camera twitching and looking at Shane, getting ready to move. You could see his legs hanging off the table, planted on the ground so he could get up quickly. If anyone thought for a second that Shane might hit the elbow drop, they need to get their eyes checked.

Third, the commentating. I'm ok with bias, it's part of the job description, but there was a point when Shane picked up a steel chair in a regular, DQ-match, therefore making it illegal. One would assume he was going to try to beat The Legacy senseless with it, and Michael Cole was ok with that. However, when Orton came and knocked him down so he wouldn't be able to use that chair, Cole became extremely upset and said, "The viper chose his spot!" That pissed me off, he just saved himself and his two friends from a savage beating, don't act like he just did something so terrible. This made me do something I never though I'd do before and I started pulling for Orton.

Finally, the ending of the match was the best part, mostly because it meant no more having to suffer through Shane McMahon's bad dancing and crappy wrestling. Were we supposed to hear Orton say follow my lead on camera? If we weren't, that's not such a horrible thing, but it is kind of funny. I don't get why he decided to go after the ankle this time and not go for another punt, for once I wish he did. Also, they might as well not have brought Batista out at all if they're going to have him come out AFTER Shane is beaten down. It just didn't make sense.

Sorry if that's a little long, but I just had to break down the main event somewhere, it was bugging me so much.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal NightCap

to think, I almost forgot to do this shit tonight. ridiculous of me. im an asshole.


cute little promo to start. Possibly the start of a Jericho-Mysterio program, something I absolutely couldnt be more pleased with. goodness fucking gracious that will be great. However, if this is the kind of stuff they want to do with Mysterio, then he needs to drop the IC title. It doesnt look like it will be the focus of the feud at all, and really, shouldnt be. Therefore, its just going to be a prop, and thats nt the way to rise its value. Have him drop it to Shelton, or Knox, so they may feud with Morrison, or RTruth.

Speaking of which, decent little match Between RTruth and Knox. Truth sells well, and is still very over, despite having more of what I would call a "nudge" rather than a push. Knoz win, and looks impressive.

Morrison and Charlie Haas had a fantastic match, that saw Morrison go over. SO far, I am diggin the Morrison face turn, although itll be tough until a PPV to tell if the crowd is buying it, since they routinely use cannon pops on SD.

Edge and Punk had another good match, although the match, and the finish, were a carbon copy of last week. Im never a fan of that kind of thing, but now we get to have Umaga Vs Punk, so im fine with it.

Jeff Hardy and Jericho had from what I could tell, was a VERY good match to close out the show, which had Jericho losing, and all but assuring a Jericho-Mysterio match for JDay. Cant wait for that, and hopefully the ensuing feud.

there were some other throw away segments on the show which I didnt comment on, which should tell you they were pretty much worthless. Overall, I give tonights show a solid A-. Good development, good matches, good wrestling show.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Ahhh, The NorCal NightCap


Pretty "meh" show tonight but, what can one expect while building for an Orton-Batista "showdown" at JDay. I cant find a whole lot to say about the show, really, becuase it truly inspired no feelings besides apathy.

I am very pleased, and decidedly shocked that the drafts picks are not only be utilized for the most part, but have segments of the program actually based around them. MVP, and the enitre mid card US title division for that matter, has had a segment each week, in whats looking to be a very competitve, entertaining division. I also LOVE (now) that the focus on TBK's involvement with the Colons, will be on the tag titles, and seeing who TBK chooses as "THE" Partner. Could be badass, could be dumb. I expect someone huge. Hopefully it isnt Kennedy....which leads me to...

WHY the fuck does WWE insist on ruing the suprise factor for returning stars? What do you think will garner you more veiwers? The advertisment of a superstar with a small amount of fans, or a suprise return of a superstar period? Think about it. One theory says "hey if you like Mr.Kennedy, tune in:...the other theory says "Hey, if you like unpredictable live television, and big suprises, tune in"...now which of those would get more veiwers on a regular basis do you think? Er, yea. At least they didnt list a fucking date and time down to the second like they do most returning stars, for fucks sake. They prolly will next week, I give them too much credit. Hopefully he returns into the US title picture, and not as Kendricks tag partner.

It was a love/hate relationship for me with the ongoing storyline of the night, IE Batista hunting legacy. I hated most of the segments, and found the one with Cody to be especially crap. On the other hand, I feel they should play into the "poppa bear Orton" type thing, in which he shows empathy, and caring for his guys when something happens to them. Same thing happened about 2 months ago, and I thought it was cool. It gives you an amount of sympathy and respect towards the enemy, sorta like how the vietcong are shown a lot in the modern war movies (like "we were soldiers"). Orton is a tweener anyhow, may as well subtley capitilize on it. The portion of the crowd who hates him wont pick up on it, and continue to do so. Just another layer to a character that I think would be cool.

All in all, I really appreciated the pushing of the mid card, but that was about all that was exciting about tonights show. Cena's promo was also superb, but I cant see anything but failure coming out of that match. Thats for another thread though.

Tonights show was just fine, passable. Gets a C grade from me.

 

[JGlass]

While I missed a portion of last nights show, what I did see I liked, it wasn't super fantastic, but it definitely had it's good parts. The opening segment, despite being centered around two wrestlers I don't particularly care for, was pretty bad ass. I like how they've utilized Vickie as GM so far, she's biased to a flaw, but not so biased it's ridiculous. I loved when DiBiase said getting kicked in the head was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Unfortunately, the badassness of the opening segment was ruined by the shitfest that was the first match. It started out ok, bu they guys seemed to tire out really quickly, and we were left with Batista kind of bumping into people and knocking them over and trying to make what little offense Rhodes and DiBisase did mount look believable.

I missed the diva's match. Needless to say, no sleep was loss.

I also missed TBK vs. Carlito. To be honest, I'm surprised that they're making this into a legitimate feud, but that's not a bad thing. Kendrick's got skills, and everyone loves a mystery partner.

Last thing I missed was the Cena vs. Miz exhibition match, which I was actually disappointed about (not for the wrestling, just for everything that would happen before and after the match).

I kind of liked the idea behind everything that happened with Orton and Rhodes trying to find Batista. It looked kind of stupid, but it was a cool idea with Batista stalking the lackeys and taking them out. I like how Orton genuinely seems to try to protect Rhodes and DiBiase, it gives his character more dimensions. I like that better than how they treated Hawkins and Ryder for Edge, where they were basically his pawns that he allowed to take whatever beating.

The idea for Santina is not smart. His/her antics are not clever or witty. They are however, hilarious. It's dumb as hell, but a lot of the time, dumb comedy is the best kind. After last night's episode with Santina coming out of the closet, no more questions should be asked like, "Would _______ make it under the PG rating?" The answer is clearly yes.

I'm really excited about the US title division. It seems like there are plenty of guys they intend to use, which is great news for MVP if he's going to keep the belt for a while. I don't think it's time for this yet, but a Fatal Four-way doesn't seem out of the question. The match they put on wasn't bad either, but how can it be when you have Kofi and MVP?

The last match was plain eh. Batista viciously beating on Orton is only a little entertaining. It would have been better for me at least if I didn't hate Batista so much.

One thing I do want to point out is that a while ago, somebody mentioned Jerry Lawler maybe making a heel announcing turn. I disregarded it at the time and figured it was a one week thing, but once again during the Hardy match, he seemed to be siding with the heels. Normally heel announcers annoy the shit out of me, but I kind of like the dynamic that creates between him and Cole. Lawler is the cool ex-wrestler who defends the heels' ego and personality, while Cole is kind of this dork who just wants what's fair. I'm interested to see what happens with this.

 

[Ramirez16]

i feel like RAW took a definite step in the right direction last night. Everyone was great on the mic (batista, miz mvp and kendrick particularly) and the show just moved a lot better than it has been lately.

I read somewhere that Linda McMahon held some backstage meeting at Raw and told them that creative was more open to suggestions from wrestlers as to what direction they take their characters in. I think last night's show was the first show in awhile were VKM didn't trample over his creative team and make the show he wanted to see and actually let creative have their say in things, and it paid off big time.

As far as the actual wrestling went, RAW's new younger talent definitely got a chance to shine last night and prove why they belong on the raw brand. I'm especially happy with the pushes that Kofi Kingston and Brian Kendrick are getting at the moment and excited to see what they lead to.

All in all i'd give last nights show a B+ which is a welcome change after the slump it's been in lately

 

[gd]

Everyone was great on the mic?? Are you serious!?!?!?! Did you listen to Batista's opening promo, he had about 5 lines and still botched them.

As for the show, the Batista/Legacy fued is just crap. If I have to see one more fuckng handicap match with the Legacy, that they can't even win, I'm really going to lose it. Raw has ended the same for pretty much the last two months, it's ridiculous.

Diva's match, meh. Micki is still looking hot though.

Brian Kendrick vs. the Colons could be interesting. Not sure who his partner will be, I actually wouldn't mind Kennedy.

I am LOVING the Miz right now. He has been gold on the mic for the last 3 weeks and the match with Cena was good for what it was. Can't say the same for his upcoming match.

VIP Lounge was great, really showed the depth of the mid card, I'm glad that Regal is getting some TV time and Matt Hardy's character is progressing nicely.

Santina was funny as usual, even though the angle is getting stupider by the minute and has pretty much destroyed Beth Pheonix's wrestling credibility.

Batista/Legacy backstage stuff was OK, but kind of stupid. Why would Cody go looking for Batista if there already is a handicap match later on?

The Main Event was just stupid. How can Batista single handedly take out the whole Legacy, rather easily I might add. O well, hopefully he receives a punt at Judgement Day.

Overall, I'd give the show a C, as it was nothing special.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The only thing good last night was The Miz and MVP. It looks like they are starting to take the midcard seriously on RAW. They keep having pathetic mainevents every week. How are we supposed to consider Legacy in the same breath as Evolution, DX, or Horseman if they keep getting dominated in 3 on 1 matches against Batista and Shane no less.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal Night Cap

Pretty sweet show. not "the best show ever" as I was PROMISED, but still pretty damn good. Its rather unfortunate that all this great build is going towards a PPV were nothing is likely to happen, save possibly for a IC title change.

Good tag match to get us started, I think its awesome seeing WGTT together again. Id rather Morrison did the corkscrew moonsault off the top rope (didnt he do it that way before?) but still good. I was suprised to see him with Punk, but it was good getting all those talented guys together, and made Morrison look pretty legit.

Divas match was fine, Melna looked great in her debut, both literally and figuratively. Ummmm. thats about it, I didnt pay much attention.

Hardy and Ortiz had a hilarious match. Its about fucking time they started moving towards turning this fuckwad heel, as he has "total douchenozzle" written all over him. Oh well, Hardy scors a win for all the sad kids who wear the pants with the chains hanging off them, over the big moron jock guy. Thank fuck Ortiz was cast in a heel role. No one likes him. lets roll with that.

The Ziggler push of Silence continues. I thought someone had snuck over and tuned off my TV becuase of the silence of the crowd. A shame, becuase I really think the guy has potential.

Rtruth continues to be very over, with zero semblance of a push in sight. I dont have a CLUE what on earth is the deal with the guy. They spend over a month building him, give him the sweet rapper entrance, and then do absolutely fuck all with him. He had ONE mid card title shot, in a match that no one saw. Ugh, what the fuck ever.

Edge and Jericho finish off the night with a damn fine wrestling match, which climaxed in a whirl wind brawl all over the arena. Very good back and forth match, and awesome almost cash in/everyone fights like a motherfucker blow up to close the show. I love how SD! gives the vast majority of the show to wrestling, and not antics. Still bothers me that we havent gotten the least bit of explanation as to why Umaga is attacking Punk. Oh well.

Very good show. Solid matches, direction, good promos, sweet finish. A-

 

[Uncle Sam]

I still think it was the best show ever. I'm used to TNA iMPACT!, remember. Fucking awful show. If you watch it, stop. Stop right now.

I'm pretty sure Morrison's heat isn't pre-recorded. If it was, you'd think that they'd give Ziggler the same treatment. For some reason, I thought that match was really awesome. I was pumped from the moment Punk was revealed as Morrison's partner. SmackDown is so good, I'm beginning to lose my cynicism. You'll notice that Morrison's reaction was a lot more high pitched than Punk's. I think the most noise I heard all night was when he posed on the apron while Punk was busy doing that thing - what's it called? - wrestling, that's the one. It was pretty cool to see WGTT back together, and they seemed like a legitimate threat without ever making Morrison and Punk look beneath them.

Grisham doesn't know how to put faces over. "If this was on points, Punk and Morrison wouldn't have won..." You're doing it wrong.

There was a divas match. I didn't watch it. Cryme Tyme appeared. Didn't watch that either.

Erm, yeah, Hardy vs. Ortiz was pretty good. I'll be honest; I didn't know who the fuck Ricky Ortiz was before this match, and I'm still not entirely sure now. He was the one without facepaint, correct? Hardy connected with the Whisper in the Wind almost properly. I was astounded.

Hardy's promo was hilarious. I laughed when he cut himself off to reply to a fan and yell "You're the greatest."

Ziggler didn't get an appalling reaction, I don't think. I couldn't really tell because the dick makes so much fucking noise during his matches that you wouldn't be able to hear if the entire arena erupted. Good match though. Khali came out, and for some reason I was excited. I really have lost my cynicism.

What's up? Why, it's R-Truth and the enigmatic charisma Mike Knox. Truth does some very nice twirls and spins, but Knox stole the show, undoubtedly. It's a shame Truth won, considering how much the crowd were digging Knox.

Edge and Jericho had a mighty fine wrestling match, I gotsa say. Couldn't believe it was happening on SmackDown, and not SummerSlam or Survivor Series. When Punk came out I was absolutely sure he was going to win the world heavyweight title and that was why everyone was lovin' on this show. Alas, no, but the end makes me want to watch the shit out of Judgment Day. I'm going to watch that pay-per-view so hard, ain't nobody gonna be able to stream it after.

 

[tehblogger]

looks good for SD. Absolutely sick tag match to start things off. Morrison shone with great reactions from the crowd - and oh my god, that spinning moonsault is to die for - but I was bloody impressed with Haas, I thought he looked more impressive than Benjamin. SWEET belly-to-belly on Punk, who sold well throughout. He just looks so much more at home in his moveset than he did this time last year. 4-star Punk matches are coming fast and thick now: last year they were few and far between.

Um, Ricky Ortiz as a heel? Should have happened from the start, but it won't get over. The guy can't wrestle, bores me to tears in the ring. Job him out and then fire him, please. Hardy is still as over as fuck. Dolph Ziggler - I like this guy. Everything about him is great, other than the name. That needs changing. But apart from that? Good in the ring, fluent on the mic, and a fucking badass with a chair in his hands. Will comment on the rest when I've watched it.

 

[tehblogger]

Ok, Truth and Knox - didn't do anything for me. Truth is as over as hell, but I don't know why, because he's a bit horrible in the ring. A few flippy moves and that's it, none of which look at all impactful. Reserving judgment on Knox. Is it me or did his belly look a bit big?

absolutely awesome main event. Edge and Jericho put on a terrific match. Loved the spot where the knocked each other off the top rope with some STIFF punches. Thought Edge looked strong going into Judgment Day as he counted the chair with the high kick. Even though I knew by the time I got round to watching it that Punk hadn't successfully cashed in, him coming out after Hardy's run-in was still pretty damn thrilling stuff. WTF is going on with Umaga, though?

Ah, well, A-grade SD overall. Wonderful stuff.

 

[X]

Well after being totally disappointed by RAW this week, I definately noticed a significant upgrade with Smackdown. I didn't exactly soil my pants watching it like it sounds like some of you did, but I definately enjoyed the show. Well, most of it.

All of the matches were above average for usual TV wrestling (well except for the women's match of course), and the opening and closing matches definately had me solidly entertained for the first time in a while.

What I didn't like, which wasn't really a big deal, was the Great Khali. Apparently he's a face now? I haven't been watching wrestling for about 8 monthes here so I have no clue who is what anymore. Did you hear Khali's music? I was in stitches at whatever in God's name that music is called.

 

[Blade]

That was probably the single greatest pre-PPV smackdown (or any WWE show, for that matter) I've seen in recent memories.

Most of the matches were really good, especially the opener tag match and the main event which were superb.
Knox/Truth was actually decent. Better than last week. And I always get a laugh from the ridiculousness of the lyrics in Truth's "rap".

The ending was pretty much perfect. They made all 3 main rivalries progress. Hardy attacking Edge after the match, Umaga screwing Punk yet again and Mysterio getting Jericho from behind. Ending the show with all 6 guys battling it out was wonderfully done, making all 3 rivalries seem important. A- from me.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal Night Cap


Wow. What, what really to say about last nights show.

The only positives I can really think of was Hardy-MVP, in a solid match. The rest was strange, cookie cutter, or just unecessary.

I find it scary that we have Santino Vs The Guerrero family not once, but TWICE, even after RAW drafted all of that star power over.

Goldust and Swaggle? Miz rattling ooooon and ooooon. and then being confronted by Jerome Lawler? THIS is WWE's flagship show? Is this a fucking joke?

Pretty much shit, all around. I cant think of one thing I was impressed with, save for the MVP-Hardy match. Cant wait to see the ratings for this bomb.

D

 

[Planty]

We saw a divas battle royal last night. After much building up Mickie James as the number one contender she doesn't even win the match. The honour goes to Kelly Kelly... randomly.

The title of "Miss Wrestlemania" got defended on Monday Night Raw between a man (because anyone who is fooled by this deserves to fall off a cliff) and a debateable woman. It "changed hands" as such. If thats called a match, then I'm called Mario... which I'm clearly not.

Oh, and Santino competed in a match earlier against Chavo. Yes, nothing like two credibile athletes these days on RAW competing 'ey?..

After much speculation (although I see an angle where TBK has a different partner each time)... his mystery partner is none other than GOLDUST! Thus we had the (unofficially named) Afro Express vs TBK and Goldust as our hour one main event. Plus we got to see Hornswoggle. THAT'S TERRIBLE!

Lawler made his once a month in-ring appearance.

Flair teased coming out of retirement, making me think that Wrestlemania 24 was more and more pointless to this day.

Real Highlights:

MVP/Matt Hardy- a match for the US title. Not particularly a great one but solid given the time. Compare it to all of the above and you know its worth a watch at least.

The Miz- because he is awesome.

If I had to rate this I'd give it an E at best. I'm more looking forward to a potential Parking Lot Monday Night Raw next week.

 

[JGlass]

I'm in general agreement here, tonight's RAW was pretty awful. No matches with the major stars, and the few that were there weren't very good, with the exception of MVP vs. Matt Hardy.

The opening was eh. I don't like Flair getting involved in this feud, I feel like it's just going to bring more and more references to Evolution. It got even more ridiculous when Cena came out, who has had no business with Randy Orton since Backlash 2008 if I'm not mistaken. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I remember the last time Cena and Batista teamed up, tag in's and out's came in the form of slaps in the face. I guess they patched that up back stage...

Diva's battle royal was dumb, but the ending was kind of funny. I think it's stupid that Maryse is starting this feud with Mickey James but Kelly Kelly is going to get the match for the belt. With the type of push Kelly Kelly is getting, I think she'll win it too.

Santino vs Chavo was mildly amusing. My question is if Santino is a comedic jobber, what does that make Chavo? I got a big kick out of Santino looking all worried about who his opponent might be when he found out it was Vickie saying, "Oh! That's ok! My sister can beat her!"

Carlito and Primo vs TBK and Goldust... From what I understand Goldust is not THE partner, he was just a try out. This match was stupid, I didn't like it. It is however, nice to see Hornswaggle found a new Finlay. Good for you little guy.

The Miz thing where he dressed up like John Cena was dumb. I'm wondering if this calling out John Cena thing is finally coming to an end. I liked the concept behind it at first, but after a while, Miz got REALLY REALLY ANNOYING. I almost couldn't listen to him anymore because he was so loud, so obnoxious, and so stupid. I hope he took The King's words to heart and talks to Vickie about a match, where he'll get steamrolled.

MVP vs Matt Hardy was the best match of the night. At the beginning of the match, around the time Hardy went for the Twist of Fate and hit the Side Effect, it looked kind of sloppy, but as the match went on and the more MVP took control, the better it got. I really liked the fact that MVP stomped on Hardy's cast. Some posters were saying MVP was too face and wasn't edgey enough, I think that was pretty edgey.

In the spirit of things not making sense tonight (The entire opening, Santino winning, Big Show putting the camel clutch on King) William Regal kicks Santino in the face and lets Vickie get the pin. I have a feeling he's going to be doing some GM ass kissing for months to come. I enjoyed how clearly uncomfortable JR was announcing this one. He also forced about 100 of his weird phrases out there. This will probably go in the history books as the least hot divas match ever!

Typical Legacy vs. Two Superstars match. When Randy is in he'll get stuff done until he can't, and then they start fighting dirty. I was extremely impressed by Rhodes, who took a break from the normal Legacy repertoire of moves and did a moonsault off the top rope, I didn't know he had that in him. It was picture perfect. The chaotic ending was kind of entertaining too. I thought it was funny seeing John Cena beating Show to the back with a steel chair, and even funnier seeing Cody Rhodes fly into the ring out of nowhere. Pretty good match, entertaining ending.

Other than the MVP-Matt Hardy and Legacy-Cena and Batista bout, the show was bad. Nothing made sense at all tonight, and I sincerely hope that they work something out with next weeks RAW to redeem themselves quickly. After all, there are only two more RAWs until Extreme Rules... One other thing I'd like to mention is that I really enjoyed Cena's work tonight, I was pleasantly surprised by him. His acting and his ring work was pretty good tonight I think, except for his stupid weekly interview with Josh Matthew's, which is always dumb.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't know if RAW has hit an all-time low but it is getting close. Don't see any reason why Regal was involved in the Santina/Vickie matchup as I thought he was entering a program with MVP. The only saving graces were MVP/Hardy and the Miz. Lawler had to interject as usual and Big Show beating him down was just icing on the cake. He didn't even sell the submission right so that's a negative there. Didn't expect JR to fill in and he messed up two minutes by saying Hardy broke his metatarsal and not his metacarpal. The Legacy is beginning to look like La Familia as they keep being on the short end time after time especially two nights in a row. At least Vickie won the Miss Wrestlemania title so that's a plus for me. I give this week's episode a 30 out of 100.

I wish RAW had more lengthy midcard matches like Smackdown. SD is guaranteed to have a good 20 minute match in the middle of the show but RAW has struggled to do that for a long time. Here's hoping they will take the midcard seriously this time and build superstars. MVP is still a work in progress as a face and if Miz doesn't botch on the mic much he can be a credible champion. When Kennedy returns, I see him and Miz feuding.

 

[HitFan]

Are they even trying anymore? How many weeks have we seen Legacy vs whoever in a handicapped match? They're trying to recreate the Horseman obviously, problem is, Orton is the only one with ANY mic skills (and even then he's maybe equal to Tully, he's no Arn or Ric). I can only hope that the new Hart Foundation has more personality than Legacy. Then again that may be unfair, because Vince/Creative won't even let Dibiase and Rhodes show us what they have, personality wise. Pass the Mic around, let Dibiase be the "Enforcer" roll, and Rhodes be more of the brains or SOMETHING...right now it's Orton, Orton Jr., and Orton Jr.Jr. The Horseman worked because the whole was bigger than the sum of it's parts...Legacy waters down all 3. ALSO...Ricky Steamboats comeback was PERFECT for Steamboat Jr's debut, leading into a INCREDIBLE fued with Jericho!!! I was soooo sure this would happen, and then I remembered...nothing good has happened since Benoits push (I know I know, but back then who knew). I really think they're out of ideas, and praying for the next Stone Cold or Rock...that doesn't happen often gentlemen!

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Quite possibly the worst episode of RAW I have ever seen in my life and times. I would almost call it the worst wrestling show ive ever seen period if it werent for the go home to WM version of ECW (Bella-gate).

With all that publicity, and a white hot crowd, this bucket of shit is what they put out. Utterly rancid. The one and only redeemable thing on this show was the triple threat, but alas, Kofi Kingston managed to fuck up the finish. The ref has to count to THREE before you jump up and celebrate Kofi. THREE.

Kennedy's return was pretty decently done. He also worked well in the ring. Other than that, we get more AWESOME Vick Guerrero Vs Santino stuff, and the same boring Batista-Orton-Flair thing that we have seen 89 times in the last month.


guh, what fucking shit. and you guys wonder why the decision to spend the evening banging Mrs.NorCal instead of watching this shit is OH so easy to make. D-

 

[JGlass]

I really liked Smackdown tonight. I can't say anything particularly WOWED me, but overall a very solid show.

The show opened up with Mysterio cutting a pretty decent promo. I am really enjoying the Mysterio Y2J feud. They teased losing the mask tonight, and I'm really excited to see where they're taking that angle. I can't remember the last time I was this interested in the IC title.

The first match wasn't that bad for having the Great Khali. I mean, he was awful, but the match wasn't too terrible. He seriously looks drunk in the ring. It's almost funny how bad he is, in a campy type of way.

I actually watched Melina vs. Alicia Fox, and I wasn't entirely disappointed! The ending with Melina doing the split legged leg drop on Alicia Fox and leaving it on for the three count was impressive, and pretty sexy.

John Morrison's interview and run-in with Shelton was pretty funny. He's a very odd character, but I find him entertaining in a random sort of way. His match tonight was ok. It got kind of boring seeing Umaga just own him for a lot of it, but I liked the part when they showed Morrison trying to bring him down to the ground. I did enjoy CM Punk coming out and owning Umaga. I think that even though their last match was kind of sub-par, that the Strap match can be kind of interesting. I still don't know who's going to go over there.

Speaking of sub-par, Haas and Benjamin vs Cryme Tyme fits that criteria. Shad is so sloppy and so bad that it's kind of hard to watch. Luckily, JTG had some good moments in this match, so it wasn't too terrible.

Oh boy another divas match! No, not really. Does it bother anyone else when they constantly put a face diva over a heel diva, kind of like they did with Michelle McCool right before Wrestlemania 24?

The main event was pretty good. I really really liked how Jericho ambushed Rey before the match, very crafty. I got to see three of my favorites in the ring at once, so that got me pretty pumped up for the main events, and there were some pretty good moments in the match. Seeing Jeff Hardy take care of business by himself for a lot of the match really makes me excited for the ladder match next Sunday. The ending was pretty great too, and that Edge pose at the end where he held up the belt and put Hardy in the ladder was just such a great heel statement. Very good.

Overall the show wasn't terrific, but it was a solid effort, I'd give it a 7/10.

 

[Razor]

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/wwe-raw-results-june-1-2009-78057

The 1st of June, in the year 2009. The first Raw to ever make me say "Oh my god, where's my gun?"

I don't know about you guys, but after the show I tried to post a little and get my mind off of the travesty that is Flair bleeding from his head in no less than 5 minutes of ring work and then having a weird, really disgusting blood stain on his belly. That, and Orton was speaking. So that just made things worse.

Back on topic, I tried to post. But as I was posting, I noticed something. My posts were becoming increasingly filled with curse words. A normal sentence of:

That Raw was pretty bad. Orton was speaking, Batista was shitting himself, and Flair was flopping around. Horrible Raw. MVP and Kofi saved it for about 15 minutes though.

became this:

My fucking god. This Raw was shit. Orton was wasting my fucking time on the damn mic, Batista was shitting himself a goddamn baby, and Flair was fucking flop sweating and fucking bleeding on his stomach after only 5 minutes of ring action. Shit terrible. MVP and Kofi could have fucking saved it, but the shit that bookended their promo and match fucking sunk anything good that come of their attempts. Fucking god dammit.

^^^Obviously no one wants to read that. That's a horribly shit post.^^^


So. This past Raw has obviously affected me in some weird, transcendental cursing sort of way. What ways did Raw affect you? And were they for the better, or for the worse?

 

[Razor Blade Dream]

I stated in another thread that the only reason I watch Raw is to join in on the live discussions as they are becoming increasingly hilarious. Almost like Mystery Science Theater 3000 type of hilarity every time I hit the refresh button. So, that being said, Raw affected me in a way that one would watch a car crash or a really bad Skinemax late night sexy comedy spoof or the countless bizarre Z-grade Sci Fi flicks. It is hard to take your eyes off it but you know you are dying a little inside deep down for wasting the time on it. Raw is just getting lazy while the other shows are apparently stepping up their game. Raw is starting to be awkward like when Raw first premiered. You watched Bobby Heenan's legacy as the best heel commentator being shitted on by having him dress in drag trying to get into Raw and then being fired by Gorilla Monsoon as he sheepishly walks out of the building and drops shit along the way.
For what it's worth, Raw is starting to become fine comedy fodder for me though.

 

[JimmyLeviathan]

A crock of shit. Vicki Guerrero is cringeworthy, why the fuck have they kept her on TV for so long? Why they had to drag Matt Hardy down into the muck that is this whole Miss Wrestlemania shit is beyond me. Why couldn't they have done some work building hype for the four-way at Extreme Rules? Because creative thinks we'd all rather see William Regal covered in slop, good call, good call. This Santina storyline is one of the most unfunny pieces of drawn out crap I have ever seen. Someone needs to take this storyline out behind the old barn and shoot it in the fucking head, not even seven year old kids find this funny, it's beyond a joke.
THEN they go and put Hardy and Regal against the Colons'? Where the fuck did The Brian Kendrick go? At least his 'find the partner' story has been mildly entertaining and had SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TAG TITLES! What the fuck do Regal and Hardy have to do with the Tag Titles? Nothing! They have nothing in common to constitute a legitimate tag team save for the fact that they were Vickie Guerrero's inept pair of stooges tonight. Again, they should have been hyping up what's going to be a decent match at Extreme Rules instead of wasting time stripping away the groundwork that was laid for a decent angle with TBK.
The Cena-Chavo-Show-Miz match was a waste of time, they could have at least paired Cena up with someone interesting and was disappointed not to see Miz on the mic again. He isn't as great as everybody thinks, it's only that his decent mic skills look incredible compared to the likes of Orton and Batista but at least he's a breath of fresh air and is good for a laugh or two.
Batista vs Rhodes was even worse, a steel cage match should be memorable because they don't come around that often. It should NOT be used as an excuse for Batista to show how 'dominant' he is and make further inroads into the credibility of Legacy. Dibiase and Rhodes have all but cemented their status as the J.O.B. Squad 2.0.
To be honest they really didn't need the 'fight to the finish' crap, they could have just lured Flair out to the ring, lowered the cage and THEN beat the crap out of him, that would have gone over a lot better then having Flair, who hasn't wrestled in months, kicking the crap out of WWE Champion Orton until they somehow find their way into the ring and THEN Rhodes and Dibiase interfere, they should have made it look planned if they wanted to sell Legacy as credible heels.
Overall I hate to say it but this weeks Raw was even worse then last week. It feels bloated, clunky, campy and just plain terrible. MVP and Kofi were the only redeemable part of a show that, for lack of a better phrase, sucked balls.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal Night Cap

WHAT a fucking show. this show was better than WM25.

Sweet promo to start. Er, well Edge was good, like always. Hardy sounded awkward, and like a dork, like always. Good push for the title match. Id venture to say that no one in the WWE is on par with Edge for a "go home" promo in the entire WWE, save possibly for Cena.

Morrison and Shelton had what I found to be their best match of all, with by far the fewest botches and the best transitions of any match they have had. Even busted out some limb phsycology. Good match, and it seems Morrison's star is ever rising

CM Punk and Umaga had a VERY good match as well, far better IMO to their JDay encounter. Punk sold the big man little man very very well, and pulled off a sick GTS (yes, he did it) sweet match. Their match sunday is one I am looking forward to for sure.

next, the unthinkable happens. The room still stinks from the shit that hit my pants. So, Jericho is out cutting a promo and R FUCKING TRUTH interrupts him...not only that...brace yourself...CUTS A PROMO ON JERICHO!!!! He had a catch phrase and everything!!! Like fuck he did!!! As if this werent enough to give me a seizure, he THEN had a competitve match with him!!! RTRUTH LOOKED COMPETITVE WITH CHRIS JERICHO!!! After the match, I really had to sit back and ask myself "self...did that just happen?" it did. they also booked it so that Truth didnt look weak at all in a losing effort. He just caught off gaurd by the codebreaker. Awesome.


Speaking of losing without lookign weak, Rey Mysterio and Edge has a fantastic 20 minute match in the ME, were Mysterio was randomly caught after a leap, by the spear. Wonderfull match, one were no one could ask for more, not on PPV, and certainley not on free network television.


Fantastic show. A

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

What I wanna know is did Orton's rematch against an injured Batista ever end? If it didnt, doesnt that mean Batista is still champ?