Raw this week definitely had its moments, but again it still left a little to be desired. The matches were without doubt, better than what they normally are, and they went from one of the worst women's match in recent memory to one that really stood out as one of the best that has been on Raw lately.
The opening segment set up the rest of the night and I enjoyed the Taker chokeslamming Batista bit. The fans have really sided with Undertaker in my opinion, so why not make the WM match interesting and turn Batista heel for it? It was expected that he would face Batista at WM, but the last few weeks provided a little bit of interest in it. Shawn Michaels and John Cena are yet to have the moment that begins their feud for real, and it was good to at least see some heels get involved in that segment.
May I say that Vince has been great on the mic lately and his jokes have been getting better. If we are ignorant of the feud he is involved in, I believe the boss's authority figure can shine through on the mic instead. It is good to see him being more involved in running the show on screen, but I just wish that he wouldn't keep doing these awful feuds and Trump obssession shit that he is doing now. Again, his mic work has been great lately, but any joke is overshadowed by Donald Trump crap. I can see that they are going somewhere with the feud and the business proposal actually interests me so that is one thing I will be looking forward to hearing next week, although I should brace myself for the Kiss My Ass Club crap I hope won't take up 30 minutes of programming like the usual one does.
6 Man Tag Match: The World's Greatest Tag Team and Chris Masters def Cryme Tyme and Carlito
3/10
The 6 man tag match was a big disappointment for me. Here they had some up and coming talent in Cryme Tyme, Carlito, Masters and the Worlds Greatest Tag Team, and yet the match lasted for only about 5 minutes. They could have had some incredible tag team action, and yet the match was rushed and barely had any action in it. The best moment was of course the finish when Shelton showed the athleticism at the finish that he should show through the whole match. It was good to see them get the win but I don't think anyone cared. I
would give the match a 3 out of 10, simply because of the finish and the winners.
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Umaga def Balls Mahoney
2/10
Do I need to go into it? Umaga looks directionless now and that is a shame that his gigantic push has come to an end after he showed some great skill. The WWE ruined this guy like they have with all other heels, especially Cena's opponents. They are starting from scratch now with him again, and again he is just squashing guys left and right. Could it really get any worse for the ECW originals? It is so obvious that Vince would never let them win a match or feud against the crap that is the current WWE wrestlers, so I think he is going to crush their careers while they are still anxiously waiting to get the hell out of the WWE. Why must Raw be filled with these sorts of matches? We don't need them and if they want to fill the time gaps, make the mid card matches longer. That helps those wrestlers develop their skills so that they can put on main events that go the full distance. 5 minute squashes do nothing of the sort in regards to helping young guys build match skills. This is all Umaga looks like doing now and that is again, a great shame.
The match would get a 2/10 from me, only because it made Umaga look strong again but otherwise it was pointless and terrible for Balls.
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Super Crazy def Johnny Nitro
4/10
Nitro and Crazy put on another 5 minute match that was slightly better than the tag match. It is a shame at the state that Nitro is in now because he cannot get a win. At all. I understand the push for Crazy but that match could have adverse effects on Nitro and he seems to be going downhill. Fast. This is the kind of match that should be showcased in the mid card and be allowed to be longer. The guys can definitely take a match that long unlike some main eventers on Raw.
The match had some good wrestling though and would get a 4/10 for me just for being horrendously short. Again, Nitro cannot buy a win and the guy doesn't deserve that crap.
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Women's Championship Match: Mickie James def Melina
7/10
The women's match was extremely intense and was the crowd was surprisingly into it. These two should be in a long feud because they have the real life hatred that they can draw into it. Both could really benefit from eachother because they do need improvement and a lot of it, but if the two could go at it like this each time they face eachother I will be happy. This wasn't the best womens wrestling match I have seen but it is miles ahead of what Maria and Candice could do in the ring. They need to keep this up here because the womens division is in dire need of improvement. These two could never be junior Trish's and Lita's but they are at least showing some skill which is badly needed in a slumping division. If they could improve, maybe the division could and they really put on an intense match so there could be life left here. I would like to see more of Victoria wrestling, but until her competition is improved, she won't be wrestling top matches anytime soon. Melina is improving each week and Mickie is a great face so these two could go places. Props to the WWE for putting on an entertaining womens match for once.
A 7/10 from me which is a great improvement on last weeks womens debacle. We need more of this intensity and passion throughout the entire WWE.
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Jeff Hardy def Ric Flair
5/10
The Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy match lived up to expectations that one would assume of Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy. Nothing special but it was more interesting than the other matches on Raw that they had. A close match in the end that didn't hurt anybody and went for as long as I thought it should have. The end was interesting and it seems the Intercontinental title is now getting heated in regards to competition. I don't believe Ric Flair should be anywhere inside a wrestling ring now, but at least he is still showing decent matches now.
Just a solid 5/10 for me for being nothing special at all, but still more interesting than some previous matches and pulling a decent, exciting match out of the two and a solid mid card bout. The aftermath was interesting and it could set up something soon, but I will get into that later.
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ECW Title Match: Lashley def Dykstra
8/10
The next match was a big surprise. Dykstra vs Lashley for the ECW title. I don't understand why it is on Raw but this is the WWE though, where they think of stupid ideas daily. The match was incredible for Lashley's standards and showed that Kenny Dykstra is the next big thing. He pulled out an interesting match in a seemingly pointless time filler and took Lashley a lot further than one would expect from him. It was exciting, but the crowd wasn't as into it as they would be with most title matches and really showed that Lashley is a terrible choice as a champion for the fans. But again, he pulled out a competitive match, and raised respect for him in the ring and kept Dykstras rise up the ladder intact. Good match for two young guys and something that we need to see more of.
A 8/10 simply because it was surprising how good Lashley could be in the ring when he is put with guys that can wrestle. Maybe there is hope for him after all.
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The Flair Promo!!
10/10
Now we get to the best moment of the whole night and that was Ric Flairs run in with Carlito. This is the Ric Flair we need to see. The guy who still has the intensity and passion in his promos as he always did. Where are these sorts of guys today? Anywhere? Ric showed just how great he still was in a very surreal promo that was amazing. This is what Ric Flair should be doing. Talking and staying out of the ring at all costs. An angle between him and the young guys could be an occurence and that would be great to see. The heel Ric Flair is great to see, and manager looks like the position he could go. What Ric said could really be applied to some of the guys in the WWE now. Carlito really doesn't have any intensity and passion in his matches like guys who lived and bled for this business did, and Ric Flair is one of them. His promo was intense again (that is about the 50th time I have said that word) and really drew attention from me. Great work on the promos tonight Raw!
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Triple Threat #1 Contenders Match: Shawn Michaels def Edge and Randy Orton
7/10
The Main Event wasn't as good as I would have liked to see, but it shows a real importance in the main events on Raw that was lacking as of late. The past few main events have been awesome and that is what we need to see. The match wasn't anything special but I think it built up the Edge/Orton feud like their promo did. It concentrated on 2 on 1 mostly and then the split and I think Michaels was the deserved winner and it didn't hurt anyone. I won't go into the fact that I hate the WM main events right now, but it was obvious that Michaels was going over. It was exciting though and a good finish.
7/10 for being solid and nothing else. Not like the Triple Threats that we have seen before but excellent for Raw main event standards.
The aftermath put importance on the NWO main event and that seems like a good idea to me. A good build up to WM from the four guys though and it was good to see them start the feuds before it was ridiculously late.
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Overall It would get a
B from me. It was solid again with a few good moments. None better than the Ric Flair promo. That is the promo we want to see and that is what the guy should be doing. The women's match was impressive, and something we need to see more of. They shouldn't have Maria stinking up the ring, but like this week, they should focus on building up women who have potential.
The ECW title match was a sleeper match that surprised all. It was a lot better than you would expect and that is what should be main eventing ECW each week. The Triple Threat match left a little to be desired but really it did all it had to. There is importance on main events now, and that is good to see. The card was booked outstandingly for their standards as well. The mid card matches could have been better, but we weren't drowned in pointless promos and the ones they had were great and at the right time.
What I didn't like on Raw is something that is prominent each week and that is the squash and 5 minute matches. They are un-needed when matches like Crazy and Nitro could go for a lot longer, and the one tag match could have been a lot better if they let them do their thing for 10-15 minutes rather than just 5. They didn't have any matches that they make you pay for on PPV's though, and it was good they avoided that and went for some fresh things.
The show was interesting to say the least and made things clearer for WM. This is what Raw has to be like each week but that is only the standard. There is still a lot to be improved upon, but they had nothing that stood out as being terrible this week, and that is a change for the better. Matches were solid though and better than normal, and hopefully SD and ECW will be the same. But I am wary of the fact that Trump is coming and as is the Kiss My Ass Club crap that needlessly pollutes Raw most weeks. Stick with this format Raw, of no pointless promos (although they had Umaga squashing Balls for no reason) and they should be like this every week.
I will be very surprised if someone read that all but it was fun to type.
. I think it's going to be semi-ok. As long as HBK and Taker are in the ring at the same time for the majority of the match. The segment was awesome. All the suprise entrants. HBK teasing to another Taker/HBK match. I was hyped for the segment if thought I knew what was going to happen. The live crowd ate it all up.