Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[JGlass]

I don't have enough time to write a full review tonight, but I do have thoughts that I want to share.

I thought the Kofi vs. Cena vs. Orton match was very good. Kofi came off looking very strong, as did both Cena and Orton. However, how foolish is the WWE to send two heels to the main event of a major pay per view? A championship match between two faces will work, but nobody wants to watch two heels face off for the belt.

MVP cut a GREAT promo with the Miz tonight, and both wrestlers did a tremendous job with the entire segment. That definitely kicked their feud up a notch.

Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that Maryse is going to be the next Diva's Champion? She has been on every RAW in one way or another since her return, something no other diva can boast, and her competition is Alicia Fox (no) Gail Kim (no) and Eve (no).

Tyson was a very good host, and I think understood the WWE's atmosphere better than any other non-wrestler host. My favorite thing he did was getting all psycho on Hornswoggle and threatened to disembowel him and pull his brain out through his nose.

Overall, this was a very good RAW, and I'll give it a 7/10

 

[Tainted Meat]

The MVP/Miz interaction was fantastic, Santino/Swagger was fun and Tyson was solid enough as a host. The rest ranged from boring to atrocious, and the DX thing was a fantastic way to ruin what was an otherwise decent night. If they're not even going to try, why should I continue watching?

 

[newteenforbb]

Does anyone have a clue as to why Orton was so angry at the conclusion of the triple threat? Was it due to Ted being late, Kofi not setting up correctly for the RKO or something else? It was odd because unless he was totally in character, he looked legit pissed.

 

[Toroc102]

I noticed that too, like you could hear him calling Kofi stupid on TV, but I think it came off great. It made him look very badass. I hope he wasn't legit pissed at Kofi though, we all know where that got Kennedy.

 

[newteenforbb]

Not just "stupid", he also cursed and although I couldn't make out exactly what was said, I am pretty sure a word that begins with "f" was included. It was really bizarre because at first I thought he was angry that Ted took so long to come in. But then, the anger seemed completely geared toward Kofi. Maybe we will get a news story out of this soon explaining it.

 

[Toroc102]

Hmm, I didn't notice the cursing, too bad I already deleted Raw, dang I wanted to rewatch that. Also my last post got deleted so here it is again with a little adjustment.

Tyson was a good host, for all of his promo shortcomings(primarily of course his vocie)he did a good job and I was happy to see him threaten Hornswaggle, didn't get to see the last minute or so because I fucked up with DVR, but the results sound dumb as shit. I mean basically the Main-Event was completely meaningless right? Are they just going to keep putting Jericho back on Raw to have him lose millions of matches, I mean seriously just put him back on SD already.

Legacy VS. the job squad was nothing out of the ordinary, the promo beforehand was kind've sad though. Dibiase calling himself a movie star was sad, him coming out of nowhere and insulting Rhodes was stupid, and if anything, Rhodes got the better end of the stick on that promo. If only they'd allow him to put himself over and say that his 5th grade grad vid was better than Marine 2 and not just The Marine.

The Diva's match bewteen Kelly/Fox was okay, but basically amateur hour, not really interested. Don't get what they see in Fox, like she's a pretty bad wrestler but I guess if they can give the title to Maryse they can give it to her too(I'm guessing there are other reasons they're giving her a push despite her lack of either in ring talent, or on air mic time but I won't mention them here).

Eve VS. Katie Lea was better, but I don't think it says much for WWE's Divas division. Seems to me, hotter chick always wins, unless one of them looks really strong. If they're equally hot whoever's getting the push will win. Most predictable Division in wrestling.

Marella Vs. Swagger, pointless, Swagger gets beat by someone with no future as a wrestler outside of comedy jobber.

Triple Threat match was good, glad they threw Kofi in there just to mix things up.

Miz was great, mentioned that on the newest Miz is great thread on the front page.

All in all a pretty standard Raw, which gets less interesting every week.

 

[Ryander88]

RAW's Moneymakers and Misfires:

Misfires:

- Jack Swagger's All-American Challenge. Based on the last two years, we all know not to take Santino Marella seriously. He is a comedy act, there for entertainment purposes, when needed. So why, WHY?, WWE would you ruin an opportunity to raise up and develop a young star by negating his credibility with a loss to Santino? Jack Swagger could have had a golden ticket to instant credibility if the WWE allowed the All-American Challenge to take place in the weeks leading to the Rumble. Tonight, Swagger cuts his promo and beats Santino. Next week, he holds the second installment of the Challenge, he manages to dump Mark Henry over the ropes. Then, immediately after, the Big Show steps out and accepts the challenge for the following week. Let Swagger squeeze out the victory there and we have a true contender in the Royal Rumble, making the match and pay per view more appealing. Instead, the man has no credibility, following a loss to Santino, and he is just another name on a list.

- Eve Torres over Katie Lea Burchill? The WWE had another golden opportunity to create a star in their women's division with Katie Lea Burchill. She is a fresh face on RAW, with a good look and she should be the next Diva's Champion. The back breaker she performed on Eve was sick looking and should have finished the match. Imagine is Melina returned to a division where Gail Kim, Maryse and Katie Lea were all viable contenders. Shame on such a misfire WWE.

- MVP's promo. I would have thought MVP's promo was simply over scripted and cheesy is it wasn't for the fact that he created such a great character when he was on Smackdown and could have easily handled the situation using that persona, instead of the learn from your mistakes PG crap he spewed out of his mouth. He said monkey flinging poop for Christ's sake.

- Raw Finale. Part of me was OK with Mike Tyson knocking Jericho out because it was making up for pulling the same trick on HBK 12 years ago. The nostalgic part of me didn't mind. It also called it happening, but I digress. My biggest problem with the finale is that it should have been swapped with the Triple Threat Match. End the show with wrestling, most kids should be in bed by 11 anyway. Appease the wrestling fans and let the show end with a solid match.

MoneyMakers:

- Mid-card Depth. While MVP shot a crap promo, the Miz finally won this fan over. I have to say, the kid has it and it seems like he is bringing character back to the United States Title. It was also nice to see some more talking from Swagger, Rhodes and Dibiase. These kids need to get their hands on a mic and keep figuring out who they are. I think the key is understanding the character's relationship to the company...like the Miz playing the role of the vindictive child, rubbing success in the face of his peers who mistreated him and made him feel like he didn't belong.

- Iron Mike. He ended up being a pretty great host. Besides seeming total uncomfortable during his opening promo and a few other moments, Tyson had a good sense for the product and handled his moments well. In particular, his interaction with Hornswoggle actually had me laughing last night. On a side note, I think the WWE has been using Hornswoggle pretty well these last few weeks. If he must be used, I prefer he be used as simply and sparingly as he has been and his interactions tonight were fine...I just wish he didn't involve himself with our main events.

- Sheamus helps open RAW. I thought it was great for Sheamus to be the first to come down the ramp and confront Iron Mike. He needs more moments like this that make him feel like a ballsy champion and a credible badass. Just let the man go in the ring, stop trying to protect your already cushioned baby faces.

- The Triple Threat. Great match and great finish. I noticed Orton yelling stupid and went back and watched it a couple of times. I couldn't figure out what brought that on, so I, like everyone else, am curious. I think Orton is the perfect opponent for Sheamus right now, which I explained in another thread. I think two heels is a fine option, because I think Ted Dibiase will play the baby face in this encounter. I think Dibiase will somehow cost Orton the belt, thus catapulting the Orton/Dibiase feud for 'Mania and it also will give Sheamus a much needed victory over a credible, former multiple time World Champion. Orton also seems to bring the best out of young talent, so he can help the very green WWE Champion get over in the ring. The WWE also doesn't need to cushion Orton the way they cushion Cena, so we may actually see a legitimate match out of the two of them.

 

[nikvoodoo]

Smarky crowd tonight.

I was in attendance tonight and I agree, very very Smarky crowd. The guy I was sitting next to couldn't understand why anyone would cheer for The Miz, but everyone around us was doing it. As for the Miz is awesome chants, it was only a handful of people sitting in front of me. Outside of Sheamus, Miz got the most heat.

I don't agree with Swagger getting solid heat, but then again, it was hard to hear what everyone else in the arena was doing outside of my section (The Leaders of the Smark) at that moment. To me it sounded far more mixed.

Maybe I'll hear it when I watch Raw on my DVR.

As for Randy Orton shouting "stupid", I heard him scream it live but just assumed it was directed at Kofi within the storytelling of the match. Seeing the posted youtube clip, it seems pretty clear that something crawled up Orton's butt and died. Maybe it was Ted coming in late, maybe Kofi hit Orton too hard while vamping in the corner waiting for Ted...who knows. The odd thing is, he didn't say it till after he hit the RKO, so I don't really understand why he didn't do it earlier (if it really was Ted running in late), and I can't see anything Kofi did from the point Ted dropped him, to the end of the match. Very strange.

 

[newteenforbb]

As for Randy Orton shouting "stupid", I heard him scream it live but just assumed it was directed at Kofi within the storytelling of the match. Seeing the posted youtube clip, it seems pretty clear that something crawled up Orton's butt and died. Maybe it was Ted coming in late, maybe Kofi hit Orton too hard while vamping in the corner waiting for Ted...who knows. The odd thing is, he didn't say it till after he hit the RKO, so I don't really understand why he didn't do it earlier (if it really was Ted running in late), and I can't see anything Kofi did from the point Ted dropped him, to the end of the match. Very strange.

I think the intended finish was a punt. Kofi got up too quickly though and because of that, the RKO looked like it was done correctly. Usually, an RKO comes out of nowhere and is surprising. In this case, it almost looked like it was waiting to happen, I think because the right finish was a punt to Kofi and the pin. If that is what happened, it makes sense why Randy was agitated at the whole thing. Now, whether or not he should have said something or just waited to go to the back and discuss it with Kofi is up for discussion. Perhaps we will be getting a news story about this in the coming days.

 

[nikvoodoo]

I think the intended finish was a punt. Kofi got up too quickly though and because of that, the RKO looked like it was done correctly. Usually, an RKO comes out of nowhere and is surprising. In this case, it almost looked like it was waiting to happen, I think because the right finish was a punt to Kofi and the pin. If that is what happened, it makes sense why Randy was agitated at the whole thing. Now, whether or not he should have said something or just waited to go to the back and discuss it with Kofi is up for discussion. Perhaps we will be getting a news story about this in the coming days.

You know.....I had even thought that it looked like a punt was coming...It had looked like Orton was setting up for it and that sudden feeling of "Here it comes" swept over me, but Kofi got up so damn quick that I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

That could very easily explain what happened.

 

[ExclusiveWolf]

I watched the end of the triple threat match a few times. Its possible Dibiase took to long to come to the ring, but I'm wondering if Orton was pissed after the RKO because Kofi botched it which could have led to a serious injury. If you watch the RKO it looks amazing, but Kofi's head and neck clearly smashed against Ortons shoulder awkwardly. I dunno just a thought. he RKO was sick looking though.

 

[gully side adidja]

Everybody seem's to just be talking about the orton/kofi botch,make a thread about it,don't post it here unless it is a actual raw review......anyway my review.


opening segment:well done segment ,tyson got cheered,then sheamus came out,claiming to be the REAL baddest man on the planet,but flinched when tyson went to punch him,orton came out,never said much,cena came out,lame jokes as usual,then a nice suprise to see kofi come out,all three men want a shot a sheamus,fans chant cena sucks(this crowd has good judgement),cena uses weak explanation for that,randy chant,then tyson set'e up a 3way for a shot at the wwe title,should be good.


alicia fox vs kelly kelly:what a way to kill a good segment by giving us this botchamania of a match..........fox wins.


swagger vs santino:all american american challenge:basically just a over the top rope match,nothing really here,santino gets the not too surprising win here,nice face expression from swagger after getting eliminated though.


legacy vs mark henry/evan bourne:legacy do a ok promo before match, with ted claiming he will win the rumble and is a movie star, rhodes seems annoyed by this and gets a nice little jab in about,his 5th grade promo was better than the marine 2 film, as for the match,okay bourne impresses as usual but a awesome looking cross rhodes wins this for legacy.


kofi vs orton vs cena no.1 contenders triple threat:fun back and forth match,orton mostly getting double teamed,orton wins the match with a brilliant looking rko on kofi, it is now orton vs sheamus at the rumble for the title, i was genuinely suprised!!


eve torres vs katie lee:not much really, kinda lost interest,eve won can't remember how, the divas division is fucked up, maryse is the only saving grace.


miz/mvp segment:the miz cut a GREAT promo about how he was a loser in the locker room a few years ago, but now he has his OWN locker room,this guy has improves every week inside the ring and on the mic, mvp comes out and also cut's a good promo,about hoe he went to jail and survived like a animal, a fight ensures with mvp getting the better of the situation building to there u.s title match This segment was very good only to be brought down by the dead/impatient crowd, mvp and miz are(along with hhh and jericho)the best mic workers in the wwe today,having these two clash showed it, HOWEVER.........whereas miz got very good heat from the crowd, mvp got a very unfair mixed reaction,mixed with silence,i think he won the fans over in the end, but did not deserve that, his best promo as a face easily, good segment.


mcmahon adresses bret hart incident segment: short but not good basically vince states that bret screwed himself 12 years ago by walking out on the/vince's
company and last week, vince screwed bret, and that bret would not be allowed back in a wwe ring, vince looked annoyed buy the fans giving him a boring chant, and to me i think vince may need to step back a little on his appearences, after this hart feud is finished, he really looked his age last night, and did seem a bit hesitant to carry on the speech after the 'boring' chant.

main event:mike tyson/jericho vs dx: I knew from the time tyson announced this, he was gonna turn on jericho, suprisingly they let tyson do a few minutes of grappling(use that term loosely)against dx, and suprisingly held his own, even over powering hbk, but when jericho got in the ring, i knew what would happen, after a few minutes of fighting dx, and a hornswoogle appearence, tyson enters the ring, stands behind a unaware jericho, and punches jericho's lights out, raw closes with dx,swoggle, tyson, and his son, posing to end the show.


overall fine raw but nothing else, good triple threat, two good segments, and a ok but obvious dx/tyson swerve on jericho, everything else was your standard raw.

 

[Toroc102]

I agree, I think thats the first time I've really heard a boring chant during one of McMahon's promo's and it seemed to get to him, but hey, it is another Vince screws someone storyline, it has become pretty stale.

Also, why make a whole new thread about the Kofi/Orton thing alone? Seems like extra clutter on the Raw board to me especially when this thread never gets enough hits.

 

[Ryander88]

It wasn't a botched RKO that seemed to piss Orton off. When he came out of the corner, he shoved Kofi's head down, then as he pounded the mat, he was yelling something and right before he hit the RKO, he threw a few words Kingston's way I couldn't make out. I think he then made that RKO extra vicious looking.

I watched the footage over and over again, watching Kofi and Orton closely as Rhodes distracted the ref. I saw nothing, maybe a stiff forearm. Maybe we just finally saw the Orton character talking some smack like Austin used to.

 

[Blue Chipper]

RAW was mediocre, in my opinion. It was fairly entertaining, and finally began storylines heading into the Rumble. The matches were pretty good, the triple threat was probably the best. The Miz segment set up a feud with MVP, and was nicely done. The main event was failry predictable, and was as to be expected. The Vince segment had more potential, but still served its purpose in advancing the Bret feud. I'd say Tyson did a good job as host, but the turn was too predictable. Overall, it was a largely average show.

 

[goodlay]

The past two weeks on Raw had the potential to both be amazing shows, but they both fell pretty flat imo. I think Tyson did a good job though, considering the dude is fucked up mentally beyond belief.

The opener was good, and I liked the idea of a triple threat. I was really hoping this was Kofi's time to shine, but we'll get to that later. Then we get the usual shitty Divas bout and then we get Legacy. Ah yes, Legacy. They've been teasing this break up for months now, so tonight maybe we'll get something. Ted talks about how he's a star and he's going to win the Rumble. They start arguing, and that's it. They win their match against Henry/Bourne and Ted/Cody love each other again, wtf? Well WWE has pretty much killed any momentum Legacy had after their feud with DX, so what's the point anymore? They aren't going to be tag champs anytime soon, just break these guys up already.

Swagger then comes out and cuts a promo on how he's the "All American American" He says no one in the locker room can throw him over the top rope and that's why he will win the Rumble. Santino comes out, challenges him, and within minutes, Swagger jobs to a comedy jobber. Really? Note to WWE: That isn't how you build stars.

So now we get Kofi/Orton/Cena. Match starts out pretty slow, and just when we get some action, we go to commercial. Few minutes later, Cena is outside the ring, and we have Kofi with Orton on the top rope. Legacy shows up out of no where, Rhodes dropkicks the stairs (wtf?) and Cena sells like it actually hurt him. DiBiase appeared to fuck up and it looked like he hit Orton. Anyways, Kofi falls, Orton does his weird pounding on the ground thing. Kofi gets up, nothing happens in an obvious fuck up, Orton hits the RKO and we have a heel vs heel match at RR as Orton blatantly cusses at Kofi for fucking up the spot. Damn, do you really think im that stupid, WWE? Orton beats Sheamus, Cena wins the Rumble, and guess what?! Cena vs Orton at WM 26. No way!! I really hope im wrong, but I so see that happening. Kofi's push is quickly fading away. I'd be surprised to see him win MITB at Wrestlemania.

Miz comes out and shoots a fantastic promo on how no one respects him and how MVP should still be in prison. Wow, and this guy is in the mid-card? This guy is a star in the making without a doubt. MVP comes out and says he has never ducked from his past, nothing spectacular from MVP. The smarky crowd even started chanting "Miz is awesome!" while MVP was talking. Still a great segment, but MVP is not over with the fans at all.

Another Divas tourny match, and then Vince comes out. He says 12 years ago Bret screwed Bret but last week Vince screwed Bret, great line. A loud "boring" chant breaks out, damn this crowd is smarky. Probably because we all know Bret will be back. However Vince says if Bret wants closure, he's got it, because Bret will never be in WWE again.

So earlier we had HBK try to bring some closure between him and Tyson. Tyson said he isn't sorry for turning on DX at Wrestlemania 14, and that he wants to knock HBK out again. Jericho then shows up AGAIN on Raw. Sorry, but this is fucking ridiculous. How many times is he going to be kicked off of Raw? Whatever. Anyways, we get Tyson/Jericho vs DX with the stipulation that if DX loses, then Jericho can be on any show he wants. (even though basically, that's the way it already is) Match starts out with Tyson in the ring just grappling and shoving. We finally get some actual wrestling, but then in the biggest swerve in WWE history Tyson takes off his shirt to reveal a DX army shirt and he knocks Jericho out! In the Raw LD, everyone was calling that to happen within the first hour. We close the show with DX, Tyson, and Hornswoggle doing crotch chops.

Alright, well hopefully there's still a chance for Kofi to be a champ, but Swagger is fucked. He was officially deemed to mid card hell last night. Also, what happened to Legacy's push? Their work with DX was great. Whatever, enough about WWE fucking up building new stars. How about the Rumble? Well, we have two more Raws left before it, and yet there has been hardly any hype for it. We're heading into one of the most major PPV's of the year and there are hardly any notable feuds going on and all we have right now is Orton/Sheamus for the WWE title. I don't see Sheamus turning face anytime soon, and Orton is getting big pops now a days, maybe it's time for Orton to return to his 04 self? Im personally sick of his psychotic character, I miss the Legend Killer. If not though, we have a boring heel vs heel match to look forward to!

Fuck, maybe I should start watching TNA.

 

[Leafy]

Last night was a solid episode of Smackdown. You had a good match between Jericho and Morrison where the Intercontinental title has shown it's raise in prestige.

You saw a great Punk promo and then winning the number 1 contender shot in the fatal 4 way match. The match was kept moderately short as it should be to keep from being a cluster.

The womens were good and Kane and Ziggler put on a really good match. It put Ziggler over even though he lost and I'm hoping his push is not done. And the main event was the perfect ending as it brought a surprise and a good David and Goliath match.

Grade: B+

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal Night Cap, Jan 15 2010

I didnt think the Punk promo was great, I thought it was dumb as hell. I mean, I suppose HE did well, but the entire angle is shit if the people dont follow him around. Awesome to see him and Gallows get the number one contender spot. A fantastic feud could be run with those two against DX.

More good development with the ladies last night, as the womens division on SD continues to shit allllll over RAW's. All over it. Like, its entirely coated with shit. The only thing RAW has better is Maryse.

Kane and Zigs had yet ANOTHER fine match, while DRUUUUUUUHHH MCCKCLCKCTYTYTUUURRREE stood around being scrawny again. Oh well. JoMo and jericho did well as well, with a solid opener. Dig Morrison handing out the shades to the Kidz, lets keep that going. He needs better theme music to launch to the next level, IMO.

Good cages match with Batista and Rey. Couldve been much better, but was good for free TV. Estatic to see Rey win, as im sure he and Taker could have a real rockin match. Overall, solid show, with some nice set up for next week

B

 

[Maestro48239]

who besides me found tonight's raw kind of painful to watch? it seemed so patchwork and disconnected in spots, i liked the mcmahon/undertaker segment, i wasnt expecting it to be Taker to put vinnie in his place.

the matches were for the most part, poor to average, the diva tag team match was just horrible.

the segment i did like was the almost kayfabe spot with vince and HHH, HHH pointing out how the family always needs to get the last shot in, i did crack up at that.

in closing, Vince better step up the product, or TNA will step up. but thats just my opinion

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Don't you just love it that Jericho appears on RAW only to have to job to DX week after week? because I don't and its getting out of hand even borderline burying Y2J.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

My reaction to last night's Raw is a kind of mixed. There was some good and some bad.

I thought the first 20-30 minutes of Raw was great. Vince gave a good promo and sounded and I think injected some truth into it. The parts about fans wanting it all is absolutely true as he and the WWE do get criticized no matter what they do. Taker's appearance was great and the crowd really popped for him. He cut a great promo as did HBK when he came out to confront the Undertaker. I like how Taker refused the rematch at Mania as it's going to wind up spinning the feud this time around into a different direction. I can't wait for the Royal Rumble to see what ultimately happens.

The John Cena/Kofi Kingston vs. Legacy tag match was a really good match. Unfortunately, it was also the only actual match on the card. Still, it was a good, competititve match that the crowd was hot for. Kingston scoring the win over Rhodes was a nice tough as people have been wondering about his momentum for the past few weeks. Once the match was over, there was another little peek at Legacy falling apart. I like how the WWE had drawn Legacy's break up out, but I think the time is really getting close to when it needs to happen or it needs to be forgotten.

The interaction with Sheamus and Randy Orton was pretty good. I liked the fact that Sheamus was the one that ultimately initiated a sneak attack on Orton as I figured that it would be the other way around. I think it would have been better if Sheamus had really just went to town on Orton and given him the Razor's E...I mean the Celtic Cross three or four times. But, at least they did have him do something.

The main event of DX and Hornswoggle against The Big Show, The Miz and Jon Heder was a mixed bag. First, to address Jon Heder. He came across as an annoying douche bag last night, but that was the intended plan for the most part. Having him seem to not realize what a total douche he was is always a nice touch and he did it pretty well. I think he showed himself to be a real sport by coming out in the Ric Flair type robe and stripping down to a pair of tights. He makes Sheamus look positively tanned and he's not exactly got a Herculean physique. It got a great response from the crowd and having him lose to Hornswoggle was also a nice touch. Whenever a celebrity comes on and is willing to do something that makes someone else look good, even if it is Hornswoggle, I've got to give them props for it. The ending was great because I think that we've really seen the beginning of the end for DX. I'm hoping that they drop the tag titles to Punk and Gallows soon and just go about their seperate ways. It was also nice to see The Miz wind up in the main event on Raw, even if there was no chance of him winning. Still, he didn't wind up be the one that was embarassed, which was a nice touch.

Everything else about the show was really kind of awful I'm afraid. The Divas match was shit, this thing they're doing with Jack Swagger is a complete waste of time and talent, there was no real point to Sheamus beating Evan Bourne again. I would have just rather had him and Orton have some sort of confrontation/stare down in the ring personally.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal NightCap Jan 18 2010

Not a bad show, not really a good show. Far improved from last week.

The opening promo was fucking awesome. Undertaker rocked, they further put over the angle with Bret, and the confrontation between HBK and Taker was also very good. It accomplished something that I dont have happen often, which is WANTING to see something play out. I now WANT HBK to win the RUmble and chase The Undertaker. Awesome job there.


The Diva segment was utterly heatless, which is quite a pathetic failure since it involved Maryse. What the fuck did Eve have on? Looked like an adult diaper. Not cool man, not cool.

Im not realy going to even dignify the segments with Jack Swagger currently happening with evaluation. Im not sure who in the world think its a good idea, really. What can I say that hasnt already been said.

Fucking LOVED the showdown with Sheamus and Orton. The crowd wants "RKO The Anti Hero" SO damn badly, they are on the verge of going fucking nuts at every movement. I hope the WWE listens, I think Orton has tons more potential in that role than any other one he has had.

Liked the ME enough, althought it was just your general run of the mill "get the celeb involved" stuff, not terrible though. Cena and Kofi's tag match with Legacy was serviceable on all fronts, a nice little wrap up to a mini angle, just to keep everyone busy.

Loved the finish, with the wild brawling, and FINALLY a start for build to the RUmble. Tonight was the first show that REALLY made me feel thirsty for the Rumble, and it did a pretty damn good job of that.

B -

 

[BladeRunner]

I really enjoyed the Jan 22nd edition of smackdown.

It had some nice swerves and some of the best promos I've seen in a while. It pretty much kept me watching it the entire time.

The piggy james food segment got major heat.

Punk's finding ways to creep everybody out even more.

Batista's completely lost it and going berzerk.

Definitely one of the best I've seen in a while.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I think Raw has actually been good the past few weeks. I wasn't crazy about John Heder in a Ric Flair robe wrestling Hornswoggle in the main event though. Tonight had some good matches to build up for the Rumble. I didn't think Orton and Sheamus had enough time to build on their feud before the big show. They did end the show well, with Cena raising his hands in celebration as always.

I like the Cena ending better then the DX chop ending with guest hosts though. I'll admit the diva's division is getting a lil better, not good but better. Miz and the MVP are getting great time to build some heat. It's refreshing since we haven't seen it in a while. MVP still bores me to tears, but at least they are doing something with him.

Too bad I can't say the same for Jack Swagger. Swagger through Santino over the top rope and acted like he won the World Series or something. I think Santino might get the upper hand on Swagger at the Rumble, which will be a shame. DX vs. Legacy had a good match. I'm just tired of Legacy, hopefully they split up sooner than later.

Raw was good because they kept teasing Bret Hart and cut down on the comedy bits. Also Hornswoggle wasn't there so that was a plus. Hill wasn't a bad host, especially since he was only on the show a few segments. Next week should be good if Bret actually shows up next week.

 

[JBK2008]

Raw wasn't all too bad last night. Legacy vs DX was nice and Triple H telling Shawn he had no problem going through him to get to Mania was a nice promo. I hope Triple H goes heel again after they drop the tag team titles. Hill was a good gm for the segments he was in. It wasn't awkward silence or anything he kept it going. The divas matches weren't to bad. Not the best, but not boring. I hope there's more attention to it in the near future.

The MVP and Miz matches were nice and each one standing over the other after their losses added to the heat they had for eachother already. What bugged me though was that they BOTH lost. You're trying to push this feud and you have both men lose? I don't think that helps a whole lot. Just makes a case for Big Show and Kofi to get into the United States title mix.

John Cena vs Sheamus wasn't too bad. I knew Cena wouldn't lose cleanly, but the Orton interference was great. The crowd actually popped for a second when he hit the RKO on Sheamus. We ofcourse got the usual Super Cena gig as Cena came back to life and hit the Attitude Adjustment on Orton, but it's whatever. Great buildup for the most part for Raw going into the Royal Rumble. 8 out of 10 if I had to rate it.