Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread | Page 85 | WrestleZone Forums

Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

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Grade tonight's RAW.

  • A

  • B

  • C

  • D

  • F


Results are only viewable after voting.
This was a pretty solid Raw, at least a little more "old school" feeling than recent ones. Tons of highlights.

PROS:

Undertaker/HHH showdown was epic. Not as epic as everyone would have liked because they're butthurt that Sting didn't show up but on its own it was a great moment. Both entrances were great.

Cena doing his freestyle rapping again was awesome, especially telling Rock to blow him which made me remember how awesome Cena was as a rapping heel. In these weeks before Wrestlemania pushing the PG card a little is a good thing.

The Cole/Lawler "interview" took a turn with Cole bringing up Lawler's recently deceased mother (something I didn't see coming and was sort of shocked it was brought up, actually). IF WWE can capitalize on it and give it something of a Flair/Foley dramatic shoot style the story will sell the match, because we all know it won't be a good match, if indeed that's what they're planning for Wrestlemania. Moments of high tension before Wrestlemania is a good thing as well. Had a Lawler vs. Andy Kaufman feel to it as well.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the HoF? Hell yeah, hoooooooooooo.

The whole Corre vs. Cena/Miz thing was too 'popcorn' for me but damn Cena can work a crowd like no one else except for The Rock (I hope these two face off some day even if it seems unlikely).

The Alberto Del Rio segment with Kofi Kingston was good because Alberto knows how to heel on a crowd better than anyone save for Cole and Vicki. Kofi Kingston continues to get buried, but at least they contributed to one wrestlers' heat in the process.

CONS:

I can't buy the Bella Twins' "heel" gimmick. And Gail Kim also deserves MUCH more.

Punk vs. Morrison could've been great (like it always is) but it was just filler to segue into Orton vs. Punk. Ho-hum. Then again both men were pretty banged up from Sunday where they were 38 flavors of awesome.

Chaperone to DVD/Blu Ray already? WWE running the comment from Rex Reed that the movie is like Kindergarden Cop only better? *Cornette Face*

Sheamus has been getting a huge push over the last few months, but the last few weeks has seen him getting somewhat buried. Jobbing to Mark Henry? :lmao:

Miz trying to run The Rock down didn't "pop" to me for some reason. Though maybe that's just because Cena had an excellent segment running down the Rock.

OVERALL:

The good moments of this show were really good, the bad was really bad. But at least the program is picking up steam heading into 'Mania. Here's hoping The Rock responds to Cena and The Miz next week. Speaking in terms of the low standard Raw has set for itself in recent months this is probably the episode since the company went "PG" and at least pushed the envelope in some isolated incidents.

Rating: B-
 
WWE RAW 2/21/11
February 21st, 2011
Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Attendance: 16,182 +/-


We're less than 24 hours removed from the big Elimination Chamber PPV where Edge and The Miz both retained their respective world titles. John Cena won the Raw Elimination Chamber as well, so he's earned a shot at The Miz's title at Wrestlemania. Also last night we crowned new tag team champions in Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, and we saw the return of Captain Charisma himself, Christian! How will he figure into Edge and Alberto Del Rio's title match? And tonight will we finally found out what the ominous 2-21-11 promos for weeks have been leading up to? We'll have to wait and see.


We open the show with the 2 21 11 promo-screen that's been appearing on Raw for weeks now, this time with a clock at the bottom of the screen counting down until the top of the hour. Looks like we're going to get our answer finally.


Your hosts are Michael Cole and Josh Matthews


We're live from Fresno State University in California as we come on the air and John Cena's music hits. He grabs a mic in the ring and already some big "Rocky!" chants start up in reference of course to The Rock's smack-talking of Cena last week on Raw. Cena talks about how last night should have been a wonderful night for him with his win in the Chamber match, but all he's heard from everyone all week long is what he's going to do about The Rock's comments. We get a quick recap of The Rock's comments on the Titan Tron and the segment is just as funny as it was last week. Cena says there's only one way he knows how to respond, but it's something he hasn't done in a long time...and that's rap! Suddenly it's 2004 again and John Cena is cutting a freestyle on The Rock! He disses the Rock for his role in the Tooth Fairy movie in a great little jab. This is great stuff as Cena's actually cutting loose here, ignoring the PG-Era and telling the Rock to blow him before letting out a Brokeback Mountain jab. Sounds childish but it's excellent stuff as the Cena gets a very mixed reaction as he continues to rip on Rocky with the freestyle. Cena says the Rock may tell the fans he loves them, but he's there every week to show them. Excellent segment to open the show that throws even more heat onto the Cena-Rock program, where it may be leading.


After a quick commercial break we return to a still hurting John Morrison making his way to the ring after an incredible performance in the Elimination Chamber the night before.


John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Here we go now this is how you start a show! These two had a great feud a few years back over the ECW title and I know I'm not the only one who wants to see that feud re-kindled in 2011. Both men are still selling from the Chamber last night, which is a nice touch. Both men are weary to start, dancing around a lock-up. Morrison lays in some forearms into Punk in the corner but Punk just slams his injured leg over the ring apron. Punk focuses on the leg of JoMo, twisting his knee in a modified version of a stepover toe hold. Punk slaps on the Indian deathlock an Morrison is in a world of pain. Morrison starts battling back though, laying in closed fists on Punk instead of going for his usual flashy offense. Morrison stupidly goes for a running knee with his injured leg but Punk blocks it and hits the GTS out of nowhere and pins JoMo clean at 2:51. Odd that you'd job Morrison out that quickly after his performance last night. The fact that this barely got 3 minutes is a travesty.


After the match Punk grabs a mic and calls out Randy Orton (or Randall as he calls him). He tells Orton that he's going to hurt him if he shows up next week on Raw. So, of course, Randy Orton hops the barricade out of the crowd and hits the ring to a big pop. Punk just barely escapes an RKO attempt and the rest of the new Nexus come out to save their leader as a huge "Randy!" chant breaks out.


When we return from the commercial break Ricardo Rodriguez is in the ring to introduce the 2011 Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio, who was victorious over Kofi Kingston last night. Before he can hit the ring though Kofi Kingston runs out from behind and attacks Del Rio on the ramp! Ricardo Rodriguez comes to his aid though and Del Rio smashes Kofi's apparently "injured" arm into the steel steps. Del Rio continues the beatdown, targeting Kofi's arm until finally the ring officials break them up. We cut to commercial with a shot of The Miz making his way towards the ring backstage.


Back from the commercial break The Miz has joined us alongside Alex Riley. He has a mic with him and he says that he's disgusted by the way all of the fans reacted to The Rock's return. He talks about how he was disappointed that the best Rocky could come up with to insult him last week was just that he "sucks". He mocks both The Rock and Cena and reminds us, as always, that he's awesome when suddenly the lights flicker and we've got an e-mail from the anonymous Raw general manager. Cole announces that tonight the WWE tag team titles will be defended against The Miz and his partner...John Cena! Ugh, so we're doing the whole Wrestlemania opponents as tag champs angle again? They literally did the exact same thing when building up for Cena vs. HBK at Wrestlemania 23.


The Bella Twins vs. Eve/Gail Kim

And it's piss break divas time. Might as well get this over with before the big return in 10 minutes so why not. Gail tosses one of the Bella's out of the ring quickly but Eve comes around and clotheslines one of them. Back in the ring Gail shoots one of the Bellas into the corner and then comes off the second rope with a nice cross-body for a quick two count while Cole talks about the surprise return of Trish Stratus last night. One of the Bellas misses a legdrop and Eve tags in. She hits a nice dropkick and then a cross-body for a quick two count. Standing moonsault gets Eve another two. Gail inadvertently distracts the ref long enough for the Bellas to do the old twin-switch trick and roll Eve up in a cradle for the win at 2:28. Do we really need another heel divas tag team? We already have LayCool and atleast they're somewhat competent in the ring unlike the Bellas. ½*


After a quick commercial break we return and the ominous 2-21-11 clock begins counting down from 20. 3...2...1...the cabin door in the promo on the titan-tron opens and out steps The Undertaker. His music hits and the Dead Man makes his way down to the ring on WWE television for the first time since being taken out by Kane and the Nexus back in October.


Just as 'Taker hits the ring though...Triple H's music hits! The Game is in the building! Huge pop for Triple H here as this is his first appearance at a WWE event since being taken out by Sheamus way back in May of last year. Hunter hits the ring and both men do the stare-down with the big Wrestlemania 27 sign behind them, obviously setting up a match between the two at 'Mania. Taker doesn't say a single word to Hunter, just smiles, nods, puts his hat back on and goes to leave the ring, but instead turns around and gives Hunter the old rest-in-peace throat gesture. Not to be outdone Hunter gives him the old DX suck-it gesture. Crowd is eating this all up as both men just stare at eachother as we cut to the commercial break. Nice and simple return segment to lay down the foundation for their 'Mania match, nothing wrong with that.


Back from the commercial break we recap what we just saw between 'Taker and Triple H. Ironically enough, Sheamus is out next.


Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

And here comes Mark Henry to suck all of the excitement out of the building. They trade shots to start and Henry immediately tries to lock a bearhug on and instead just tosses Sheamus up and over the top rope to the floor. Back inside the ring Sheamus tries to reason with Mark in classic heel fashion. He slips out of a scoop slam and hits a forearm for a quick two count on the World's Strongest Man. Slingshot shoulderblock gets Sheamus another two. Henry misses the big splash and eats a big boot as Sheamus taunts the crowd. He rips the padding off of a turnbuckle but then gets slammed into by Henry, who slams him to the mat for the clean pin at 3:49. I'd like to hear even one reason as to why Sheamus had to job clean to Mark Henry in less than five minutes. ¼*


Back from the commercial break we see Daniel Bryan and Gail Kim flirting backstage. Sheamus comes up and starts shit with them for no particular reason. Perhaps setting up for a Sheamus-Bryan match at Wrestlemania?


We get the latest inductee to this year's Hall of Fame class...and it's Hacksaw Jim Duggan! Hey, why not. Duggan was a major draw for Mid-South before Vince snatched him up and made him Mr. USA. If the only Jim Duggan you've seen is the WWE version, you owe it to yourself to look up his legendary feud with Ted DiBiase in the Mid-South territory. Speaking of DiBiase, he'll be the one inducting Duggan. That's a nice touch and hopefully they'll acknowledge their legendary Mid-South feud.


Michael Cole hits the ring now with a mic as he's been ordered to interview The King. He gets a WORLD of heat by claiming he's better than Gordon Solie, Gorilla Monsoon, Jim Ross, and the King. I cannot even imagine the anger swelling up among the IWC faithful at this very moment because of those comments. After a quick commercial break we return as the King comes down to the ring. Cole mockingly asks the King how he felt after losing last night to The Miz. And now Cole brings King's dead mother into it, saying she had the best seat in the house "up there" to watch his dreams shattered. I'm sorry, but that's disgusting. Cole is the biggest heat magnet in the entire WWE right now, there is NO reason to take a despicable cheap-shot like that, even for a little program. King grabs Cole and thankfully tells him that he ever says another word about his mother, it will be his last. King then issues a Wrestlemania challenge to Michael Cole right then and there, and the fans love it! Cole calls him senile and then runs off back to the commentary table. I imagine some of the more die-hard smarks will hate this match idea, but it's a smart move and will go over HUGE at 'Mania when Cole finally gets his comeuppance. Perhaps this even opens the door for a Jim Ross return to call the show? Wishful thinking, I know.


Back from the commercial break The King replaces Cole at the commentary table.


WWE Tag Team Title Match
Justin Gabriel/Heath Slater (C) vs. John Cena/The Miz


Gabriel and Slater of course get zero reaction because they've spent the last 3 months jobbing every week to Santino and Kozlov until their random title win last night. Miz and Slater start us off with your basic collar and elbow lock-up. Miz lays a few boots into Slater and Cena gives him a mocking golf-clap. Gabriel tags in now and Cena and Miz trade a quick tag, each laying a few shots into Gabriel as if to try and one-up the other. Running clothesline into the corner from Miz. And now Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale and Cena and The Miz are your new tag champions at 3:11. So I don't think anyone will ever be taking Gabriel or Slater seriously again for any reason, ever. That was a sham of a match and the booking was downright insulting. DUD


After the match Wade Barrett and the rest of The Corre come to ringside and demand they get their re-match clause right now. The lights flicker and the anonymous GM has sent another e-mail, which Josh Matthews reads this time. The GM approves of the idea and we've got our re-match, already.


WWE Tag Team Title Match
John Cena/The Miz (C) vs. Justin Gabriel/Heath Slater


And the point of this was? We cut to commercial just as the match begins. When we return The Miz is working an armbar on Gabriel. Cena tags in and Gabriel tags Slater back in. Big "Cena!" chant starts up as they lock-up. Cross-body from Cena gets a quick two count and he tags The Miz in, both men working surprisingly well together. Big Ezekiel Jackson on the outside trips up the Miz though and he and Barrett keep Alex Riley at bay while Gabriel gets some cheap shots in on him. Back inside Gabriel gets a two count on Miz. Slater tags in and this is just bizarre as The Miz, the top heel on Raw, is playing the role of the babyface-in-peril being isolated from his tag partner. I hope they realize how stupid it is to be putting Miz in this role here. Miz comes back with a neckbreaker though (which the crowd cheers for, you know, your top HEEL) but Slater and Gabriel are able to keep him from getting the tag to Cena and continue the isolation act. Gabriel springboards in but eats a boot from Miz, who gets the hot tag to Cena. Super-Cena mode has been enabled as he hits the usual moves; powerslam, shoulderblock, five knuckle shuffle. He goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but The Miz comes up from behind and gives the Skull-Crushing Finale to CENA! Slater covers and once again he and Gabriel are the tag champs at 8:08 (shown). The finish just re-iterates my questioning of the booking here. Did we really need to continue to bury Slater/Gabriel AND the tag belts just for that? Not like Miz versus Cena really needs that small amount of heat that finish gives them. Decent formula stuff, more questionable booking.


We go off the air with The Miz smiling and the Corre celebrating.


Bottom Line: Underwhelming would probably be the best word for this show. Wrestling-wise there's really nothing here you need to check out, we got maybe 15 minutes total of in-ring work during the entire 2 hour broadcast combined. The return of Undertaker and Triple H was nice and is worth a watch, but there really isn't anything else on this show to draw you in. Have to go with the Thumbs Down for Raw tonight, even with the big Taker/Hunter returns and an excellent opening promo by Cena.


Score: 4/10



REMEMBER! You can find ALL of my reviews and match ratings at my blog:
X's Wrestling Review
 
Overall, that was a VERY enjoyable Raw.

Cena's rap: Good

Punk's promo on Orton: Good

The surprisingly epic showdown between Taker and HHH: Good

The Bryan/Sheamus foreshadowing: Good

The Lawler/Cole segment: Good

The main event: Good (In match quality, not in booking)
 
The opening promo from Cena was gold, it wasn't about the fact he stepped from behind the PG curtain for a moment, it was the great delivery, the witty and truthful shots and the fact he looked so damn comfortable doing it, unlike the stupid poop promos they make him do....It's just a shame it's getting me hyped for a match that wont happen.

Punk vs JoMo was way too short, sure JoMo was protected by his knee injury but still, it's a lousy way to book a guy coming off a show stealing PPV outing.

Punk's promo was great, I don't know why he thought Orton wasn't there but whatever, intense exchange between the two, and while I hate Orton's spasming and retching he does as a face the crowd were hugely behind him.

I'm sick of Del Rio being on both shows but his beatdown of Kofi made him look more of a threat and less of a grinning waiter then he has in recent weeks.

Miz comes to the stage and cuts his standard promo, he has a dig at The Rock and then the mystery GM pops up and sets the nights thrilling tag team main event.

The Bellas wrestle Eve and Kim in a match....err....they win with the switcheroo.

The 21-2-11 thing counts down and Taker walks out, then Triple H's music hits, this was a horribly done segment IMO, it completely feels like they are rushing a match onto the card because they know the card is devoid of anything marquee ring-wise. Triple H seems to be favoured by this crowd and they do some staring and synchronized gazing at the Mania sign. Taker looks really haggard and H looked podgy,Taker gave Triple H the throat slit pose and He gave Taker the "I've got 2 words for ya" chop, but I only had 4 words after this segment "Who gives a fuck!?"

At this point I was barely even taking any notice of the show, then a little backstage segment happened that may actually make me tune in next week, Sheamus and Bryan have an altercation as Bryan is laughing and cuddling with Kim, Sheamus thinks they are laughing at him b/c he lost to Henry and threatens Bryan. A 15 minute US title match between these two at Mania could be a huge bright spot.

Lawler and Cole did a promo together, Cole made a tasteless remark about King's Mom, King challenged him to a match for Mania, Cole ran off like a bitch. I've got a lot of respect for King and it's a shame that this match is the best they could give him, I am beyond sick of Cole so at this point I just want his ass kicked and him removed from commentary.

I wasn't really watching the tag title match as I have no interest in this Cena/Miz angle at all, but one thing was clear, Gabriel and Slater weren't worth much going in, coming out they were worthless.
 
Am I the only one who thought Miz looked great in the main event(s) segment? He displayed some good technical stuff, sold quite well and basically won the first match single-handedly. In the second, he had the crowd behind him and kicked out repeatedly after a lot of punishment. Sure, the booking was fucked, but after going through the whole "cowardly champion" crap, they have given him a few consecutive clean wins, and in two matches last night, basically upstaged and ousted Cena by himself. Interesting stuff, if nothing else.
 
WWE Monday Might Raw - February 21, 2011

John Cena - John Cena came out to sort of celebrate his win at EC and was all lively and happy for a bit before he addressed the situation with The Rock. The Doctor of Thuganomics made a return last night and I have to say that I thought Cena gave as good as he got from The Rock. Cena's promo definitely stepped out behind the PG curtain and certainly had a lot more attitude than we've seen from Cena in a very long time. As with The Rock's promo last week, Cena's came off as legitimately funny and clever in my opinion. Cena's promo gave fans something to talk about over the course of this week and the only downside to the whole thing is that there's not going to be a match between Cena & The Rock. Thumbs Up

John Morrison vs. CM Punk - I can understand if some people weren't feeling this but it worked well for me. I'd love to see these two go in long matches any day of the week but using them in this way to sell the after effects of the Elimination Chamber match was logical and well done. Both of them had some of the most physical moments during the match, with some of Punk's boo boos clearly visible, and I thought it told a good story. JoMo ultimately loses cleanly at the 3 minute mark to the GTS, but he has a way out with his knee injury and does a good job of selling it throughout. **1/4

CM Punk & Randy Orton - After the match, Punk gave another really good promo all while still selling the aches and places from the match and the Elimination Chamber really well. Punk calls out Orton after telling him that the rest of Nexus has the night off. Orton comes out through the crowd and beats on Punk for a while before Punk heads for higher ground. Short, simple and very effective. Punk addressed the issue of Orton causing him to forfeit his WHC at the EC back in 2008 which started the whole thing and Orton doing his thing out in the ring, using his facial expressions and body language do all the talking for him, worked just fine. Thumbs Up

Alberto Del Rio & Kofi Kingston - This was a great beatdown segment that had all the right elements going for it. Kingston coming down and attacking Del Rio from behind was surprising and really got the crowd behind him. Ricardo Rodriguez was able to attack Kofi and get in a single shot with the mic, just enough to let Del Rio recover and get the upper hand. Del Rio then spent the next few minutes working on Kofi's injured left arm, which he did a fantastic job of selling. They continue to build Del Rio as someone that comes across as legitimately threatening rather than a cowardly heel and I think it's the right route to take with him. Thumbs Up

The Miz - I thought Miz gave a really good promo last night and hit all the points he was supposed to. He addressed both The Rock & John Cena in some clever little ways but kept the focus of the promo on him, as he should as he's the reigning WWE Champion. The crowd interaction that Miz often gets in his promo is always fun and the crowd was pretty hot for Raw last night so it was no exception. The Raw GM chimes in and makes a match for the main event in which Miz will team with John Cena to take on Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Thumbs Up

Eve Torres & Gail Kim vs. The Bella Twins - Pretty decent for what it was and I think it did a good job of getting The Bellas new aggressive, mean girl heel attitudes over well. The match was only about 2.5 minutes but I thought they packed a good amount of action into the match. The Bellas score the win over Eve with the twins pulling a bit of twin magic and having the illegal twin in the match roll Eve up in a small package for the win. *1/4

The Undertaker & Triple H - I thought this was a very cool segment. Taker made his return with the crowd very much behind him and he looked great. He looks in better shape, rested and just plain refreshed. Initially coming out to Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave" was a nice little touch. Before Taker can say anything, Triple H's music hits and he comes out to a massive pop and does his thing before getting in the ring. The two stared each other down, sizing one another up for about 5 minutes without saying a word that, in my view, said more than 95% of wrestlers past or present could say if they spent 20 minutes on the mic. They told a story without saying a word and doing nothing more than being in each other's presence. The story was crystal clear for anybody that has the slightest grasp of subtlty. Taker & Triple H are legends in the WWE and they didn't have to say anything. The follow up here will be important to continue building the match but I thought they got off to a really good start last night and went in a different direction than I thought they would have. Thumbs Up

King Sheamus vs. Mark Henry - The match lasted about 4 minutes and was surprisingly good I thought. Sheamus should have won this match in my opinion but since they decided to go in this direction, they were able to protect Sheamus by having him fall victim to one of his own dirty tricks. Pretty good physical match here and I like that Henry didn't spend the match just tossing Sheamus all over the place. Sheamus removed the turnbuckle pad in the corner with the intention of using it while Henry is down. Henry recovers and hits an avalance in the corner, pushing Sheamus into the exposed bolt. Henry hits the World's Strongest Slam for the win. Henry got his moment in the sun here, albeit not exactly "clean", and Sheamus has still beaten Henry loads of time in the past so here's hoping that they just move on from here. **1/4

Hacksaw Jim Duggan - I was never a fan of Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Even as a Kid, I just thought the guy came across as a real goof. From a personal standpoint, I've little interest in seeing him in the HOF. He was, on his very very best day, average in the ring and he was terrible on the mic. This is the same guy that called Hulk Hogan a great technical wrestler in a promo he cut while in WCW. Thumbs Down

Jerry Lawler & Michael Cole - I enjoyed this segment a lot with Lawler & Cole. Both of them played their roles extremely well, Cole especially. I could've done without the reference to Lawler's mother. It wasn't exactly tasteless but it was close enough. But, it did add a new level of intensity to this thing between Lawler & Cole. Lawler challenged Cole to a match at WrestleMania which, of course, Cole refused before going back to sit at the announce table. Lawler follows him out, insulting him on the mic before Cole throws a glass of water in Lawler's face before running off. Fun segment that laid the foundation nicely for their match at Mania. Thumbs Up

The Miz & John Cena vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel - I'm of too minds about this. On one hand, it irks the shit out of me to see a title jerked around as the WWE Tag Team Championship was last night. It's always been a pet peeve of mine and it irritated the shit out of me. The first match between the two was a 3 minute sqash match basically, though I thought Miz looked really good inside the ring. He broke out a little fresh offense and showed some technical ability. As he & Cena celebrate winning the tag titles, The Corre invokes its rematch clause then and there. The next match goes for around 11 minutes with the crowd being red hot and Miz carrying most of it. The Corre regains the title after Miz eventually hits a modified version of the Skull Crushing Finale on John Cena. Now we've all seen the scenario in which hated opponents are forced to tag together in a match that usually results in one turning on the other in some fashion. While I don't like how the tag titles were treated, I do have to give WWE credit for tweaking this formula for this match. As I said, we've seen this type of layout over and over again in wrestling companies across the world but I do have to say that I thought the WWE provided a unique way for Miz to ultimately draw first blood in his feud with John Cena. Let's be honest, NOBODY expected Cena & Miz to win the tag titles. We expected to see the standard formula for this type of situation play out during the match and that's not what we got. **1/2

Overall Show - While there really wasn't much to speak of in terms of wrestling last night, I thought Raw was a lot of fun and it did a great job of pushing and highlighting some of its top feuds for WrestleMania. Cena's promo to start the show off with showed that he can give as good as he can get from The Rock. CM Punk & Randy Orton's feud continues to look personal and intense. The Undertaker & Triple H's return was done quite well in my view and the way they booked the segment was unique and it worked. It told a good story and set things in motion without them having to say a single word. The feud with Jerry Lawler & Michael Cole should be a fun bit of filler come WrestleMania. Cole came across very much like an obnoxious asshole and took it to another level last night by mentioning Lawler's mother. The Miz fired the first shot in his feud and upcoming match with John Cena last night in a unique way. It irks me to see titles used like that but it was unexpected. People often say how everything is so predictable yet we complain when the unexpected happens. In order to be "unpredictable", sometimes you have to go against the status quo. In this case, the tag titles didn't exactly look great. However, to be perfectly frank, the tag titles haven't really meant much of anything in months as it is. I was entertained by last night's show. While the lack of wrestling did bring things down a bit, the storylines for some of the major Raw matches for WM were pushed along and built up quite nicely.

Grade: B
 
Jack-Hammer has this one down. His review, in my humble opinion, reflects my own thoughts on RAW last night. The only things I was majorly annoyed at were Sheamus/Henry, which could lead to Sheamus/Bryan at Mania, so I'll forgive them if so, and Miz/Cena winning the belts, but that was rectified and they lost the championships. Last night’s RAW was overall solid with great pops for the Taker/HHH segment, Cena's opening promo was great, Punk and Orton all but set their match at Mania in stone and the segment with Cole & King was excellent. I thought the dead mother thing was fine. If Jerry Lawler okayed it, then I'm fine with it. Was a great segment outside of that anyway. I wasn't too bothered with the rest of the show, everything else was pretty average. Not a bad RAW, not a great one either. I think I’ll settle on a score of: 7/10.
 
Standout moments:
-Raw on Monday had three standout moments in my view. Obviously, the first one goes to John Cena. Man, I thought Rock last week was amazing, John Cena certainly held his own. It was just amazing and hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing during its duration, and the fans appreciated it, and most of the booing had stopped. Even though a match is unlikely, Rock most definitely will retaliate in some way, and hopefully one day we can have that long awaited stand-off between to icons from different era's. Awesome segment.

-The second one has to go to the promo between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. For two commentators, man they made me care about this feud in the making. Say what you want about Cole, he's undoubtedly the top male heat magnet in the business, regardless of the reasons, and on Monday he was on fire. Was the mother comment unnecessary, maybe, did it add to the moment, hell to the yeah. It just intensified everything to a whole new level. Lawler most definitely gave the go ahead for it, and Cole didn't take it too far. Cole got huge heat, and in turn, Lawler got the crowd 100% behind him. When this segment gets the crowd more involved than the Taker/HHH showdown, there doing something right. This segment right here has been in my eyes one of the best, if not the best building moment for Wrestlemania in years. Another awesome moment.

-The third goes to the Taker/HHH thing. Crowd didn't pop a huge amount for Taker, and HHH didn't get the super mega-pop I expected he would get, still got a damn big pop though. When the stare-off started, the crowd really got into it big time, and for the first time in a long time, there was solid heat for Taker when he went to leave. The cut throat and suck it gestures took it to anoter level, and the crowd loved this part, as did I. It didn't need words, it worked, set up the match at Mania. Great to see them both back, especially HHH.

Wrestling wise, this RAW was a complete dud, but this show was more about really setting the wheels in motion on the road to Wrestlemania!

Overall: Raw had its moments, but was let down in other areas, 7~10
 
This past Monday's episode of Raw popped a big rating. The show drew a 3.83 Nielsen Rating with an average of 5.86 million viewers. From a ratings standpoint, it's Raw's biggest since September 7, 2009 and is the most average number of viewers for an episode of Raw since August 24, 2009.

I'd say that interest in the 2/21/11 announcement, John Cena's response to The Rock's comments the previous week, the small possibility that The Rock might be on the show again and general fallout from the Elimination Chamber ppv can take credit. It'll be interesting to see if Raw can maintain the momentum.
 
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (2/25/11)
February 25th, 2011
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: ???


We kick the show off with Teddy Long letting us all know that tonight Vickie Guerrero will wrestle for her very job! Hit that "catchy" theme music boys! Oh God Green Day really has turned to shit over the years. Anyways, onto the show.


Your hosts are Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, and Booker T


Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

We kick off the show with a battle of two very different sized men in Rey Mysterio and Kane. Cole is whining about Teddy's decision, causing me to use every fiber of my being not to hit the mute button. The bell sounds and we're off with Kane taking the advantage to start, tossing Rey around and dropkicking him for a quick two count. Rey starts fighting back, but ends up being shot into the corner after a hurricanrana attempt and powerslammed for another two count. Kane wraps his legs around Rey in a body scissors, practically crushing Rey's entire small frame. Big backbreaker from Kane, but again Rey kicks out at two. Rey evades another backbreaker attempt, and then Kane hits the floor, avoiding the 619. Rey dropkicks him and then tries for the seated senton off the apron, but Kane moves out of the way and Mysterio lands on his feet, only to eat a huge boot from Kane. We take a quick commercial break and when we return Kane is giving Rey another backbreaker back in the ring, grinding his knee into Rey's back. Quick pin attempt, but Rey kicks out at two again. Kane drives his elbow into Rey's solar plexis and then picks him up, slapping on a bear hug. He slams Rey into the corner but Mysterio comes off the top with the seated senton. 1-2--NOO! Kane kicks out at two. Rey comes off the top again but eats an upper-cut from Kane for a two count. Kane tries for the clothesline off the top but Rey moves. He tries for the chokeslam but Rey dropkicks him and Kane ends up hanging on the second rope in perfect position for Mysterio to hit the 619! Mysterio comes off the top trying another seated senton, but Kane just catches him in mid-air and tries for a powerbomb, only for Rey to counter into a rollup for the 3-count at 7:33 (shown)! Fun opener here for the most part to start the show as Rey and Kane work the big-man/little-man formula really well together and Mysterio gets a big win he needed after losing at the Elimination Chamber PPV. **½


After the match Rey celebrates when suddenly DUSTY RHODES' music hits and The American Dream comes out! What the HELL?! Nice pop for Dusty as Rey, the commentary team, and everyone at home myself included is wondering just what the hell Dusty is doing out here. He and Rey hug in the ring while we take a quick commercial break. When we return Dusty has a mic and says he wants to personally apologize to Rey for his son Cody's actions over the last few weeks. He calls his son out to the ring to apologize and Cody comes out rocking the all-clear face-mask, which just make hims look downright evil. He asks his dad why he's doing this, saying that "everyone is staring at me" like a shy schoolgirl. Dusty tells him that he needs to make this right between he and Rey. Cody reluctantly apologizes and Rey and Dusty shake hands...but Dusty doesn't let go and just smiles at Rey while Cody jumps him from behind! It was a set-up! We know it's a set-up because Booker T is from the hood and lets us know it is. Cody continues the beatdown on Rey, grinding his face into the steel grate on the entrance ramp to great heat. Awesome way to really jump-start the Cody-Rey feud for Wrestlemania, if Cody can deliver come 'Mania time I think we can expect him to be headed for the main event scene very soon.


After a commercial break we return and recap the orchestrated attack on Mysterio we just saw, which Michael Cole loves. Cody steals Rey's mask and he and Dusty hug backstage, celebrating their attack.


Layla vs. Rosa Mendes

And we jump right into our next match now with Michelle McCool doing color commentary. Rosa jumps on Layla with a Lou Thesz press, shocking Michelle. Layla tries for a headscissors but both women end up tumbling out to the floor in a very ugly, possibly botched spot. Rosa sends Layla hard into the barricade and Michelle comes over to help her friend out, attacking Layla for the DQ at 1:24. After the match Layla and McCool argue about Michelle costing her the match. I guess this is setting the seeds for the eventual LayCool split, but is that something the fans really even care enough about to see? ¼*


Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger

We return with Swagger already in the ring. Jeez, from World champion to midcard jobber who doesn't even get his own ring entrance in less than a year, my how Swagger has fallen. Lock-up to start off as Kofi's arm is taped up and is apparently wrestling against doctor's orders here tonight. Big shoulder-block from Swagger gets a quick two. Kofi hits the Boom Drop and then hits a flying forearm into the corner. Booker T puts over Swagger while Kofi gets caught up in the ankle lock and he has no choice but to tap out at 2:47. Nice to see Swagger get a win here, and this puts over Kofi's injury more, giving Del Rio some more heat. Nothing match though. ¾*


Backstage Vickie Guerrero is pounding on Teddy Long's door, demanding he talk to her about her match tonight but no one answers.


After a commercial break we return and get the full video of John Cena's excellent promo that opened Raw earlier in the week in response to The Rock. Raw popped a huge rating this week and you've got to figure Vince and company are offering Rocky everything under the sun to work an actual match with Cena sometime in the future.


After recapping Cena's promo we cut to Vickie Guerrero confronting Chavo Guerrero, trying to get him to help her out tonight but Chavo hasn't forgotten how Vickie has treated him over the last few years and tells her that tonight payback is a bitch.


Wade Barrett vs. Big Show

When we return Tony Chimel is announcing that tonight The Corre is banned from ringside for this match by order of Teddy Long. Big Show takes off his jacket once he's in the ring and then flings it at Michael Cole at ringside much to Booker T and Josh Matthews' delight. The bell rings and we're off with Big Show dominating to start as Matthews humorously tells Cole that "NO ONE LIKES YOU!" Barrett hits a few boots to try and comeback and then hops on Big Show's back, trying for a sleeper. After a quick commercial break we return to see Barrett laying in closed fists on a grounded Big Show. Back on his feet Show tries chopping away at Barrett but Wade dropkicks his knee and hits a DDT, but Show tosses him off at the count of two. Show tosses Barrett over the top and to the floor and then follows him out, laying in big open-palm chops on Barrett. Wade counters out and slams Show's shoulder into the steel post as the referee keeps counting, but Show tosses Barrett aside and slides back in right at the count of 10, winning via countout at 4:00 (shown). After the match The Corre makes the save for Barrett and Big Show chases them all off with a steel chair. This feud just keeps continuing and it's not getting any better. ½*


After a commercial break we return and now we see the full video of the big Undertaker-Triple H double-return and confrontation from Raw this past Monday. I get this is a big deal and all, but this is the second time now that significant time on this show is being eaten up by footage we saw last Monday. A quick hype package plays and the narrarator tells us that the match between Undertaker and Triple H for Wrestlemania has apparently already been announced? Weird, you'd think they'd make a big deal out of that announcement. We cut to commercial with Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero heading towards the ring backstage.


Edge/Kelly Kelly vs. Drew McIntyre/Vickie Guerrero

Odd, as you'd think Dolph would be in this match but I guess he's still technically "fired"? Who knows. Drew actually gets a few cheers as he's introduced, likely due to his explosive performance at the Elimination Chamber that past Sunday, surprising everyone. Kelly and Vickie start us off with the crowd hot behind Kelly of course, who looks amazing as always. She immediately starts laying in big shots on Vickie who scurries away to the corner and tags Drew in, prompting Edge in. McIntyre dropkicks him but can only get a quick one count. McIntyre works an armbar for a bit as the crowd starts to rally behind Edge. Big facebuster from Edge but Drew kicks out at two. Drew tries for the Futureshock DDT, but Edge counters with the Impaler DDT! Edge looks to set up for the spear, but Vickie comes in and begs Edge to have mercy. Before Edge can respond though Kelly comes out of nowhere and takes Vickie out with a spear! Edge hits a spear of his own on Drew, and Vickie is history as he gets the pin at 5:37! Not too bad all things considered here, this hopefully will give the Vickie character some time off to come back with a new angle after 'Mania. Decent enough.


After the match Teddy Long makes his way to ringside, dancing all the way like a total goofball. After a quick commercial break we return to see Vickie in the ring, begging Teddy Long for mercy like a mad woman. Teddy does the famous "You're fired!" line and the crowd and Edge love it. Vickie tries begging the referee and even Booker T to help, but no one will help. Finally she comes to Michael Cole who breaks down like a little girl, telling Vickie how sorry he is and how unfair this is. Vickie even tries begging the damn cameraman for help. She gets on her knees in the ring to beg Edge to help her get her job back, and he helps out by starting up the "Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!" chant. Suddenly Alberto Del Rio hits the ring and attacks Edge, putting him in the flying armbar as Smackdown heads off the air.


Bottom Line: Pretty good show tonight with a pretty good opener between Rey and Kane and some good angle progression through-out the night. The Cody Rhodes-Rey Mysterio segment was excellent, and we finally saw the conclusion to the months-long Vickie Guerrero/Teddy Long power struggle. There's nothing here that you CAN'T MISS or anything, just a solid two hours of feud and angle progression and mostly acceptable wrestling. We'll go with a very slight Thumbs Up, leaning in the middle.


Score: 5.5/10






REMEMBER! You can find ALL of my reviews and match ratings at my blog:
X's Wrestling Review
 
WWE Friday Night SmackDown! - February 25, 2011

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane - This was a fun opening match with two guys that work the big man vs. little man angle very well together. The crowd was pretty hot here and it was a good physical and competitive match. Both of them got in a good amount of offense on one another and hit some of their signature moves and spots. Rey ultimately gets the win around the 11 minute mark after rolling Kane up for the clean pinfall. Rey had a very strong showing for himself in the SD! Elimination Chamber and had another strong showing against Kane. **1/2

Cody Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes & Rey Mysterio - I thought this was a great way to kick things into another gear for the Cody/Mysterio feud. Dusty came out to a nice pop and it was fun to see him. He hugged Mysterio and put him over as a family friend before voicing disappointment in his son Cody. Cody comes out to some really good heat and is wearing the semi-transparent plastic mask over his face and a suit. Rey didn't say anything, which probably worked out for the best, and I like that they didn't have Dusty come out in character and try to upstage anybody. He talked to Cody like a real person and a real father and little things like that really make segments like this work. Dusty wasn't the center of attention and that was exactly the right thing to do here. Cody jumps Rey from behind as Dusty holds his attention and delivers a quality beatdown on him. I also like that they didn't have Dusty involved in the beatdown, another good call that kept Dusty as a supporting character. After the beating, Cody takes Rey's mask as a trophy and that brought a lot of heat on him from the crowd. Great segment. Thumbs Up

Layla vs. Rosa Mendes - Eh, really too short to mean much of anything as far as a match goes. While it lasted, it was decently physical between the two but it was ultimately too short. Michelle McCool was out doing commentary and looked quite nice last night and this match did further along the story that a LayCool break up seems to be looming. After being knocked down, accidentally, by Rosa, Michelle retaliates and beats Rosa down outside and gets Layla disqualified. As LayCool is in the ring together, the crowd is pretty hot to see them get into it. Michelle's line about doing what Layla can't and taking care of business was a nice little jab. 1/2*

Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger - I was let down by this match. They've had great matches with each other in the past and I was expecting another great 10+ minute showing from them. The match lasted about 3 minutes but it did tell a decent story with Kofi's injury affecting him in the match. It was good while it lasted but I do find myself wondering why Kofi is being booked so weak as of late. Swagger gets the clean win with the ankle lock and he really did need the win here. Swagger has had a long dry spell so it's good to see him get a win and it'll probably put him in line for an IC title match. *1/4

John Cena Recap - They showed Cena's response to The Rock's comments and, again, I thought Cena did a great job and gave as good as he got. His "rap" definitely pushed the PG boundaries and, quite honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing that attitude from Cena stay around. I know it won't happen, but no harm in wishing. It's just a shame that there won't be a WM match between Cena & The Rock because it would've made Cena's response all that more memorable. Thumbs Up

Big Show vs. Wade Barrett - Kinda what you'd expect here. Big Show is just so large and generally unathletic that there's just not many wrestlers out there that can have an interesting match with him. I thought Barrett did a good job in carrying things as far as he could and I'm glad to see that this wasn't a 2 minute squash. Show ultimately gets the win about the 8 minute mark via count out. Big logic hole here because Barrett was mostly inside the ring before Show pulled him back out, so that should have broken the count. Show wins and holds off members of The Corre with a chair. Nothing great hear but it progresses things with this feud. *1/4

Undertaker & Triple H Recap - The WWE production crew put together a great vignette highlighting the return of these two legends last Monday. The guy doing the narration of things was a great addition and put over the aspect that these are two titans about to collide. It worked because, quite frankly, pretty much everything said by the narrator to put over Trips & Taker was right on the money true. I can't believe that there are still people that think that segment on Raw was a waste of time. Thumbs Up

Edge & Kelly Kelly vs. Drew McIntyre & Vickie Guerrero - I was interested in this match but it was, again, too short to really live up to its potential. Edge & McIntyre carried most of the match and they had a good showing against each other while it lasted. Kelly & Vickie's involvement was momentary and gave the crowd a happy moment with Kelly taking Vickie down. Edge gets the win a little past the 5.5 minute mark with the spear. I'd like to see them get some real time at some point later on down the line. **

Vickie Guerrero Terminated - After the match, Teddy Long comes out to a good pop and climbs in the ring. Vickie does a good job sniveling and begging not to be fired but does wind up fired. She's great in her character as she goes around ringside begging everyone from a ref to Booker T to Michael Cole to even a camera man for help. Everybody does the na na na song as Vickie leaves. As she's up on stage, she screeches "You wait" angrily before leaving. Good little way to close the show with Vickie playing her part well. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - SmackDown! was a decent show last night but it wasn't firing on all cylinders. Much of what went on did seem kind of inconsequential and I was disappointed in the overall wrestling content of the show. Mysterio & Kane has a really good match to start things with and it was easily the best match of the night. The Divas match wasn't much to speak of, Kofi vs. Swagger was only about 3 minutes and should've been at least 10+, Barrett did the best he could with Big Show and the mixed tag match was also much shorter than I was expecting. It did make me want to see McIntyre go against Edge at some point in the future and Kelly Kelly looked incredible. The footage of Cena and Taker & Triple H was fun and I especially liked how the Taker/Triple H confrontation was put together. It was a decent show but it was also the overall weakest episode of SmackDown! in 2011 so far.

Grade: C
 
I have to echo Jack-Hammers take on the most recent Smackdown! Unlike most weeks where the in-ring action carries the show, tonight it was more built around feud-progression with the awesome Rhodes/Mysterio segment, pushing along the break-up of LayCool. "finishing" the Edge/Vickie/Long story, and leading to a potential McIntyre/Edge program revolving around Kelly Kelly.

Overall I liked the show, but still hope next week puts the emphasis more on the good wrestling we come to expect from Smackdown!
 
Smackdown Hits and Misses 2/25/11:


Smackdown Hits:

Undertaker/HHH hype video: This was a great video that punctuated the phenomenal segment from Monday. It was a unique video from the style WWE generally uses in that it used an "NFL Films"(for those familar) type vybe to it, which is produced better then no other. Everything Ive seen thusfar regarding this match has been built wonderfully, and im getting amped for it more and more, and they still have 5 more weeks to sell the match. Well done. Granted, this hype is meaningless if the two men can't deliver in the ring, but both generally deliver big-time come Wrestlemania, so Im not concerned.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio: I know we've seen this match 402 times in the last few years, but the fact remains that both men delivered within the ring. In this case, the familarity of both with one another only helped, as the chemistry between the two showed. It will never be confused with a MOTY candidate, but it certainly was a fun match, especially considering Rey's current shoulder situation. I admittedly groaned as these two have had some clunkers in the past, but they proved me wrong here. As an aside, how far how Kane's stock fallen since being a dominant World Champion for five months?

Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and Dusty Rhodes:
This was as good as a beatdown as Ive seen in some time, and I felt the unmasking was a nice touch and completely unexpected. The Dusty turn was obvious as he was over-the top in his praise of Rey and criticism of Cody, but his involvement for one night was good booking. Cody needs to be able to follow up from here and draw his own heat, as relying on his dad to do so won't benefit him in the slightest. The entire segment played out nicely and all but guaranteed us a Wrestlemania match between the two, which excites me. Cody getting that rub from Rey should do wonders for his career. Here's hoping he doesn't need his dad to get there.

Vickie Guerrero gets fired: There may not be a better heat magnet nor heel in professional wrestling, and she's certainly the best female heel in the business. She truly puts some of the male heels to shame in drawing heat, and her not even being a wrestler makes this even more impressive. Her act last night in begging the referee, then Booker, Cole and Edge for their assistance in getting her job back was fantastic. Her entire performance last night was phenomenal, and she truly defines excellence when it comes to heels. Here's hoping she's not leaving and WWE has other plans for her, as she truly is one of, if not the best, at what she does. Im sick of hearing about how annoying her voice can be, because it only enhances her act.

Alberto Del Rio attacks Edge: Just as it seemed the show would go without the build towards their match at Wrestlemania, Del Rio showed up with impeccable timing and attacked Edge. Del Rio has shown not only that he's a heel who can get clean victories a-plenty, but has a sadistic side as well. He's clicking well. I wish they would have followed up with the Christian return, but that's a small quibble. Again, there's five weeks to do that.

Overall Show: For a show generally known as the wrestling show, this was anything but. It was promo heavy, but those segments did a nice job at building towards Wrestlemania, especially the fantastic Rey/Cody/Dusty segment. I could have done without BOTH recap videos(HHH/Undertaker and John Cena's promo) but I felt the show had a purpose and that purpose was to build toward Wrestlemania. Well done. I can't say enough about how fantastic Vickie was last night, even moreso than she usually is. Not a great show, but a good one. B-

Smackdown Misses:

John Cena promo replay: i was a huge fan of this segment when it aired live, but it was non-sensical to to air the entire clip again,. Between the HHH/Undertaker and Cena replay, it was almost 20 minutes taken away from the actual Smackdown product. Honestly, that's unacceptable. I know the brand extension means little these days, but there is still alot of talent on Smackdown and storylines to be advanced, and they failed to do so because they aired this video in its entirety. Yes, they're plugging Wrestlemania, but there's 5 weeks left to do so. A simple recap would have sufficed.

Rosa Mendes vs Layla: Rosa is a terrible wrestler, and hasn't improved whatsoever in her two years with the company. The get rid of quality talent such as Jillian and Mickie James but keep Rosa around? Ugh. I understand that the purpose was to tease a LayCool split, but they did a poor job in doing so. We've seen faster turns with the wrestlers they put more emphasis on, the men, so just get to the split already. Most people have had enough of their "Mean Girls" act, including me.

Big Show vs Wade Barrett: Big Show is about as uncoordinated and sloppy in the ring as they come these days, and while Barrett did his best to carry him, he simply wasn't able to. Show simply doesn't have it anymore. He shouldn't be a weekly staple on only trotted out when needed for special equations. He and Barrett did nothing for me except setting up the post-match attck. Barrett's failed to stand out or look like the star he was groomed to be on Raw.

Overall Show: This show just didnt click for me. It was disjointed because of thw two major hype videos, and failed to deliver on truly being the wrestling show, Of the 5 matches, only one was good, as was having a non-wrestler fight for her job in the main event. There were some bright spots, but too few to give the show a hit. The Kingston-Swagger match was just there and served to increase Kofi's losing streak, nothing more. Just not the "type ' of Smackdown Im used to seeing. y
 
WWE RAW 2/28/11
February 28th, 2011
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 14,000 +/-


We're continuing down the road to Wrestlemania tonight, live from the sold out (or so they claim, though I believe the arena holds another 3-4000 in reality) HSBC Arena in Buffalo. Tonight we'll hear from Triple H about his confrontation with the Undertaker last week, as well as a response from none other than The Rock about Cena's remarks last week on this program. Everybody's excited for the show tonight, so let's jump right into it.


Your hosts are Jerry "The King" Lawler and Josh Matthews


We open with Triple H's music hitting and The Game makes his way to the ring and grabs a mic. Big "Triple H" chant starts up and he tells the fans it's good to see them too. He says he's done everything there is you can do in this business. He says he's outlasted everybody in this business except for one...the Undertaker. Triple H says he and the Undertaker will define an era at Wrestlemania. He says he's going to end the streak, or die trying. Triple H goes to leave the ring when suddenly Sheamus' music hits! He makes his way down to the ring but before he can say a word Triple H attacks him. He easily disposes of Sheamus out to ringside and then gives Sheamus the pedigree right through the announcer's table! Well that's a hell of a way to start the show.


After a quick commercial break we return to see Sheamus being helped out of the ringside area by officials. The lights flicker and the anonymous GM has sent us another e-mail, which The King reads. The e-mail says that tonight Sheamus still has to wrestle, and it's against none other than a returning...Evan Bourne! Nice little pop for Bourne, and we jump right into our first match of the night...


Evan Bourne vs. Sheamus

Bourne immediately attacks with a dropkick as soon as the bell rings and we're off. Bourne is fired up to start, hitting Sheamus with a big spin kick and then coming off the top with the Air Bourne! That's enough to put Sheamus away at 0:35. Wow, so Sheamus just got totally buried in the span of five minutes. I'm not complaining though because this was a GREAT way to put Bourne over for his return and hopefully will lead to a continued push in the near future. ¼*


After the match Michael Cole makes his way to ringside and tells the King he's going to let everyone know what his answer is the the King's challenge coming up next, after a quick commercial break. When we return Cole tells King that if he strikes him, he's fired per the anonymous GM's ruling. He dares the King to hit him. Cole says he never backs down from a fight...but then tells the King that his answer to his Wrestlemania challenge is "No", unless the King accepts two conditions. One, if Cole's trainer can be in his corner, and Two, if Cole can choose a special guest referee for the match. King says he doesn't care if he's got King Kong, Superman, and Saba Simba in his corner (obscure Wrestlecrap references!), he accepts. Cole takes the chance to immediately introduce who's going to train him for Wrestlemania, and that's none other than the All-American American, Jack Swagger! Really? From World champion to a bit part in the Cole/King feud? It's like they just want him to fail. Swagger hits the ring and slaps the ankle lock on Lawler while Cole trash talks him.


When we return from the commercial break we get a promo announcing that Steve Austin will be on Raw next week in Texas. Michael Cole comes to ringside, where the announcer's table has magically been put back together since Sheamus went through it (huh?) and takes King's place at the commentator's table.


Randy Orton's music hits and he makes his way to the ring. He grabs a mic and says that last week CM Punk was right about Orton making the biggest mistake of his career when he punted Punk at Unforgiven two years ago. The mistake he made, of course, is that he should have kicked him harder. Punk and the New Nexus come out to confront Orton but the lights flicker and we've got another e-mail from the anonymous GM. Josh Matthews reads the e-mail, which says that the only way for Orton and Punk to settle things is in a match at Wrestlemania. Over the next coming weeks, Orton is going to face members of the Nexus and if those Nexus members win, they're allowed to accompany Punk to ringside at Wrestlemania, but if they lose they are barred from ringside. This leads us right into our next match, the first in this series...


Randy Orton vs. Michael McGillicutty

Collar and elbow lock-up to start us off. Orton starts laying in shots into the corner and then shoots out, clotheslining McGillicutty. He misses a kneedrop and McGillicutty tries to go to work, only to be clotheslined over the top rope and to the floor. After a quick commercial break we return to see McGillicutty hit a big leg lariat for a two count on Randy. McGillicutty somersaults off the second rope with a snap jawbreaker, which looks pretty nifty and then slaps a chinlock on Orton. Randy counters with a back suplex. Orton hits the snap powerslam and he starts getting into his zone, hitting the over-the-shoulder backbreaker on McGillicutty and then following it with the hesitation DDT from the second-rope. Orton goes into his Viper routine, pounding away on the mat, stalking McGillicutty and then delivering the RKO to finish him off at 4:05 (shown). You know no one is ever going to be able to take the Nexus members seriously if you never, ever put them over guys. Standard Orton squash really, McGillicutty hit a few big moves and then Orton did his usual routine for the finish. *


After the match Orton teases punting McGillicutty but Punk gets on the mic and tells him not to do it, so of course Orton does exactly that and the crowd pops big for it. Punk and the Nexus run to make the save and Orton hops the rail and exits through the crowd.


We get a quick look at the WWE introducing the famous Mistico in Mexico as the newest WWE signing, unveiling his new look and name "Sin Cara". The fact that they've been hyping his signing so much really gives me hope that they're going to actually use Mistico correctly and give him a big push, which I think we'd all love to see.


When we return from the commercial break The Miz and Alex Riley make their way out to the ring. He grabs a mic and says he knows why The Rock is responding to Cena but not The Miz tonight, and that's because the Miz is now the biggest star in the WWE. He says what happened last week in the main event with John Cena is exactly what he wanted, and that John should be worrying about him and not The Rock. This prompts John Cena to make his way out to the ring now and grabs a mic. He has a big goofy envelope entitled "Doctor's Note" and says that Miz has obsessive compulsive disorder. He accuses Miz of having over 200 cats, a 1000 pairs of Dockers, and peeing in milk jugs until finally hiding in his closet and eating toilet paper. That whole series of images is pretty amusing/disturbing. Riley makes a TERRIBLE joke about toilets being referred to as "Johns" and even Michael Cole thinks that was awful. Cena makes a few gay jokes about The Miz and Riley which are mostly juvenile, but he does get in a funny line about them going home at night and relaxing with a nice bottle of Pinot noir and a copy of the Notebook on DVD. Cena makes a challenge to Riley for tonight, saying if he beats him that Miz has to fire Alex. Miz accepts but says if Cena loses, Cena has to say in front of the world that The Miz is awesome. Suddenly the lights flicker and Cole gets up to read the next e-mail from our anonymous GM. "And I quote...", to ensure there's no outside interference tonight, the Cena-Riley match will take place inside of a steel cage! (So that's why that cage is up there). The only way to win tonight is to escape the cage, so no pinfalls or submissions will count tonight.


Diva's Battle Royal
(Featuring Maryse, Alicia Fox, Melina, Natalya, Gail Kim, the Bella Twins, and Tamina)


We return to see the Diva's champion Eve at the commentary table to commentate on this impromptu battle royal, which I believe will determine the next contender for Eve's title. Not that anyone cares or anything. Eve talks away while Alicia Fox and Tamina are quickly eliminated. Melina and Natalya fight on the ring apron and then Maryse knocks them both off. We're down to just Maryse, Gail Kim, and one of the Bella's. Kim tries fighting them both off, hitting a neckbreaker on one of the Bellas. Gail Kim eliminates Maryse and we're down to the final two. Kim eliminates the remaining Bella twin, only for the other Bella twin to sneak into the ring and eliminate Gail Kim, apparently winning through the old switch-a-roo at 2:04. After the match Eve tries to tell the ref what happened and she gets attacked by the Bellas. The usual piss-break divas stuff here and it looks like they're going forward with the Bellas as heels despite never being even the slightest bit over. I've seen worse Battle Royals I guess. ¼*


After a quick commercial break we return and it's time for The Rock's response to John Cena's words from last week, which we quickly recap. We go live now via satellite to The Rock at his home. The Rock is dressed up like rapper Cena and mocks Cena with a little freestyle of his own before throwing off Cena's merchandise. The Rock says he made his electrifying return to Raw and said exactly how he felt about Cena like a man, and John in response raps to him? Rocky acts like this is the biggest insult he's ever received, and he continues to mock Cena's hustle/loyalty/respect shtick. He says he wants to remind the whole world how this started, with Cena publicly insulting the Rock a few years back, accusing him of being a liar about his love for this business, which gets Cena some nice heat. The Rock reminds us that he was born in the WWE, grew up in the WWE, and his blood is the WWE, reminding us about his grandfather and father, both WWE Hall of Famers. This is great here as The Rock is basically calling out every single upset fan and internet smark that's been calling The Rock a traitor for many years, and putting every one of them in their place. The Rock says with his Hollywood career he opened the door for both the WWE and John Cena himself. Suddenly the lights in the arena all go out as The Rock does his "Millions and millions" bit, with the lights turning on each time he and the entire crowd chants "MILLIONS!". The Rock says he's back to take care of business, so John should "enjoy your Fruity Pebbles, you Yabba-Dabba-BITCH!" He finishes up with the usual, saying Cena will smell what The Rock is cooking, and that finishes up the promo. Good stuff, of course we'd prefer him to be there in person, but that was nearly as good. Up next Shawn Michaels will sound off on his thoughts about the Triple H-Undertaker match at Wrestlemania!


After a quick commercial break we return to some pre-recorded comments from Shawn Michaels about the announcement of the Undertaker-Triple H match at Wrestlemania. Shawn says he'd be happy for Triple H if he wins but also a bit mad at the same time because he couldn't beat the man the last two years. Nice little segment there.


Daniel Bryan's music hits and he starts making his way to the ring for a match, but before Bryan get even make his way to the ring The Miz of all people attacks him from behind, slamming him into the barricades and giving him a big boot to the face. This crowd absolutely SUCKS as they are completely dead for all of this and barely even cared about the fucking Rock or HBK's promos. Miz says he did that because this is HIS show, and demands we start the cage match main event.


Cage Match
John Cena vs. Alex Riley


When we return The Miz joins Cole and Matthews at ringside, where Cole surprisingly shows some sympathy for the attack on Bryan moments ago.
Riley immediately tries to scurry up the cage and escape as the bell rings but Cena easily grabs him and starts tossing him around, laying in open palm chops. Snap suplex from Cena. Cena tries to walk out the door but The Miz sprints from the commentary table and blocks the door, slamming it into Cena's head despite promising not to get involved in the match earlier tonight. Miz has Riley grind Cena's face into the steel cage while The Miz takes a picture of it on his phone, which is just fucking awesome. Cole asks him to send him the picture so he can make that his wallpaper. Miz tosses the phone into the ring to Riley who then smashes it into Cena's face. Well that seems kind of stupid Miz, that's your phone bro, you've got countless steel chairs at ringside you could have thrown in instead dude. Riley tries to crawl out the cage door but Cena grabs his feet before he can. Miz tries tugging Riley out the door but Cena hangs on and locks in the STF, which sends Riley tapping immediately, but the only way to win this match is by escaping the cage. Cena tries climbing out but Miz holds him off with a steel chair. Riley has Cena in the electric chair position and just drops him back onto the mat as we take a quick commercial break. When we return Riley hits a flying forearm on Cena. Both men begin fighting on the top rope and Cena gets tossed off. Riley starts climbing and makes it up to the top of the cage, but Cena climbs up and catches up to him on top. Cena drives Riley's head off the top rope to the mat with a huge bulldog, and The Miz is speechless at ringside. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment, but again, no pinfalls count. Cena suddenly grabs The Miz's phone and then takes a photo of his own of Riley on the mat and then tosses it aside. He heads for the door but The Miz blocks it again. Cena squeezes his arm into the door crack though and is able to over-power The Miz and fall outside to win the match at 9:31 (shown)! The Miz quickly delivers the Skull Crushing Finale to Cena afterwards. This was refreshing after a night of short squash matches, and the spots with the camera phone were really creative and cute. Riley isn't exactly on Cena's level though, so the outcome was never really in doubt. Solid, but not spectacular. **¾


Bottom Line: From a wrestling standpoint, this was a really lackluster show up until the main event. From an angle progression standpoint though, this show lived up to expectations and we saw important developments in most of our big Wrestlemania matches. Very unique main event and some nice angle progression is enough to make up for the lackluster first half of the show, so we'll go with Thumbs in the middle for tonight's Raw.


Score: 5/10



REMEMBER! You can find ALL of my reviews and match ratings at my blog:
X's Wrestling Review
 
This show was not that great. The Rock's promo was awesome. I hate to beat a dead horse, but why is the Miz the champ. I really hope he doesn't confront the Rock because he couldn't even handle a promo with Cena. Riley said more than he did. They keep trying to make him look legit, but I just don't see it. He can't carry a show and that Daniel Bryan attack was stupid. I really don't want to see Cena win the title at Mania again, but the Miz is in over his head.
 
I just finished watching Raw and I'm in disbelief at how desperate WWE seem right now.

They had so little faith in their everyday roster, they had to devote the majority of their programming to former stars from the 90s and rabid commentators. I honestly struggle to see how that show got ANYONE over with the crowd.

Even when they try to do something beneficial, like giving Evan Bourne a well deserved victory, it's not a well deserved victory. It's tainted.

Two other things struck me as particularly disrespectful. Firstly, coming back from commercial break at the end of a divas battle royal. I know WWE doesn't give a s*** about that division, but if you can't even afford the women a full match, why book it in the first place?!?! Secondly, having the Miz randomly attack and beat down Daniel Bryan. Only a few months ago Miz was getting dominated by Bryan, so much so, he lost the United States Championship to him! What exactly does it say about your product (or your opinion of a talented technician like Danielson) if only a short time later it's the exact opposite? I know there's give and take on a nightly basis, but why take back everything you've given?

Sorry, but this show just rubbed me the wrong way. WWE doesn't have a clue.
 
The only thing that struck me is that John Morrison didnt make an appearence which is pretty much bullshit. How do they expect to push this guy to a title(btw, he deserves it alot more then miz and anyone else on the roster) if they dont even have him on raw.
 
Triple H

We start off with HHH in the ring. He talks about his accomplishments in WWE. HHH says Undertaker is the only true challenge he has left. He says The Undertaker and the streak will die at Wrestlemania. HHH celebrates with the crowd, and then Sheamus interrupts. Sheamus looks like he’s about to gloat about putting HHH on the shelf, but HHH attacks. He beats down Sheamus, and then he Pedigrees Sheamus through the Raw announce table. I really enjoyed HHH on the mic here. He put a lot of passion and intensity behind his promo, and the crowd was really into him. As far as HHH attacking Sheamus goes, it did kind of take me by surprise. I thought HHH and Sheamus might exchange some words, and have a brief stare down, but I didn’t think things would get so physical. I know some people are going to bitch about HHH “burying” Sheamus, but I seriously don’t think that’s the case here. Sheamus was able to enjoy tons of success during HHH’s absence. He was still pushed hard, as he enjoyed another WWE Championship reign, he won the King Of The Ring, and he always managed to get a good amount of exposure on Raw. Sheamus had a GREAT year in 2010, and putting HHH on the shelf had a lot to do with that.

Sheamus VS Evan Bourne

Bourne hits Air Bourne, and he picks up a quick win in his return match to Raw. Yeah, this was really short. Sheamus was still suffering from the Pedigree through the announce table, so of course he was never able to get into a rhythm here. It was nice to see Bourne return, and it’ll be interesting to see if WWE decides to put him in a mini feud with CM Punk. Punk was the one who attacked Bourne a while ago, and he did kayfabe put him on the shelf-Match Rating: 1/10

Michael Cole Answers Jerry Lawler

Cole rudely asks Lawler to come to the ring. Cole tells Lawler if he strikes him he will be fired. Cole tries to act like a tough guy. Cole says he will only wrestle Lawler if he has a trainer in his corner, and Cole says he must chose the special guest referee for the match. Lawler agrees to Cole’s conditions, and the match is officially on! Cole brings out his trainer. It’s Jack Swagger. Cole tries to goad Lawler. He slaps him. Lawler tries to get a piece of Cole, but Swagger locks on the Ankle Lock on. Cole and Swagger celebrate. I really want to see Cole VS Lawler. I think WWE has done an excellent job of building this feud. I do think it was tasteless for Cole to bring up King’s Mother last week, but I still want to see these two go at it on the big stage. Cole has done such a good job of playing this little weasel heel who you would want to strangle by the throat, and I’m sure everyone wants to see Lawler tear Cole’s head off. On a side note, seeing Swagger being Cole’s trainer for Wrestlemania made me scratch my head. Last year, this guy won the MITB briefcase at Wrestlemania, and he became a World Heavyweight Champion, and now he’s Michael Cole’s trainer for his match at Wrestlemania? Wow. That sure is a big fall from grace one year later.

Randy Orton

Orton is in the ring. He says faith will not protect Punk. He says faith will fail Punk. Punk and Nexus come out. Punk calls Orton an arrogant hypocrite. Punk says he will put Orton in the ground, Nexus prepares to attack, but the Raw GM interrupts. Josh Matthews reads the email. Punk VS Orton is made official for Wrestlemania. Orton will have a series of matches against the Nexus. If Orton is able defeat each member of the Nexus, then the entire stable will banned from ringside at Wrestlemania. If a Nexus member wins, then they can be in Punk’s corner at Wrestlemania. Orton’s first match is against McGillicutty. As far as Orton’s mic work goes here, I actually thought it was pretty good. Orton sounded like a real lunatic, as threatened to disable CM Punk. He was cold and calculating, and this promo did boost my interest for the match at Mania.

Randy Orton VS Michael McGillicutty

Orton hits the RKO to win the match, and McGillicutty will not be able to represent Punk at Mania. After the match, Orton and Punk have a stare down. Orton wants to go for a punt, but Punk tries to talk some sense into him. Orton struggles with his decision, then he eventually decides to punt McGillicutty. The match here was very underwhelming. McGillcutty got a few shots in here and there, but Orton really took over towards the end of the match. Orton continues to build some momentum, and it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the Orton VS Nexus matches play out-Match Rating: 2/10

The Miz

The Miz is in the ring. He whines about The Rock not paying attention to him. He says Cena’s days are numbered. Miz says he is the biggest star in the WWE. Miz says he will take out Rock and Cena at Wrestlemania. Cena interrupts. Cena pulls out a doctor’s note. Cena pokes fun at Miz for having OCD. Cena takes a shot at Alex Riley. Riley comes back with a very lame insult, as he compares Cena’s first name to toilets. Cena dares Miz to fire Riley. Cena challenges Riley to a match. Cena adds a little stipulation to the match. Cena says if he wins, Miz must fire Riley. If Riley wins, Cena has to acknowledge Miz’s greatness. The GM interrupts. He makes Cena VS Riley a Steel Cage match. The GM says escape is the only way to win the match. I really enjoyed this segment. The humor from Cena was awesome, and Miz managed to deliver on the mic as usual. This segment made me think about Cena VS Miz for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, because I do think the stuff with The Rock has took some of the focus off of this match.

Divas Battle Royal?

We come back from commercial break, and we’re right in the middle of a Divas Battle Royal. The winner will face Eve for the Divas Championship. The Bellas use Twin Magic to win the Battle Royal, as Gail Kim is tossed out of the ring. Meh. This really wasn’t worth watching. They didn’t show this one from the start, but from what I saw, this battle royal wasn’t anything special, and you just knew the Twin Magic trick was coming sooner or later. It seems like WWE is continuing to push The Bellas hard, and I fully expect them to win the Title from Eve when the match takes place. The Bellas are hot, but what else do they bring to the table? The Twin Magic trick was cool to see the first couple of times, but it’s become really old by now. The Bellas are beautiful women, but I am not that excited to see them get a big push-Match Rating: 1/10

The Rock Strikes Back

The Rock is shown at his home via satellite. He mocks Cena, as he wears his gear and impersonates his old rapper gimmick. Rock says his love for the WWE is endless. He says the WWE is in his blood. The Rock shows off his Championship belt display, which looks great by the way. The Rock says his success in Hollywood has paved the way for other wrestlers in WWE. Rock calls Cena a Yabba Dabba Bitch. I almost died from this. I really enjoyed this promo. It was energetic, and Rock continued to keep the audience hooked with his very entertaining punchlines. The suspense for the Cena/Rock drama continues to build, and I’m anxious to see where this feud will go.

HBK Speaks

Shawn talks about battling with Undertaker and HHH. He says he is rooting for HHH, but he doesn’t know how he will feel if HHH defeats Undertaker. It’s always nice to see Shawn. He has a storied history with HHH and Undertaker, so it was cool to hear his thoughts on the match here, and the video package that was used during this interview was great.

John Cena VS Alex Riley- Steel Cage Match- Escape Is The Only Way To Win

Daniel Bryan is headed to the ring for a match, but he’s attacked by The Miz. Miz caps off his attack with a Skull Crushing Finale. Miz gets on the mic. He says he attacked Bryan because he can. Miz calls for the cage to be lowered.

Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment. Cena picks up Miz’s blackberry. He takes a picture of Riley. Cena goes for the door. Miz tries to block him, but Cena overpowers him, and he escapes from the cage. As soon as Cena steps outside of the cage, Miz hits a Skull Crushing Finale. This match was okay. It was kind of annoying watching The Miz run back and forth to interfere in the match. Still, there was a good struggle between Riley and Cena, as both men tried to escape the cage, and this match did have a steady pace to it-Match Rating: 4/10

Overall Show Rating 5/10:
The build for Wrestlemania matches on this show was great, but the wrestling was very underwhelming. Almost every match was very short, and nothing wowed me inside the ring tonight. Tonight’s show featured some very entertaining promos and segments, but I just wish things could’ve picked up more when it came to the wrestling.
 
I thought tonights Raw was terrible and down their with one of the worst I have ever seen.

Starters: HHH, quite a bland promo where he just talks the talk in a very unconvincing manner whilst simultaneously discrediting the entire WWE roster. Sheamus comes out and gets beats in a very awkward looking segment which is not only unspectacular to watch but also appears to end the feud in a fizzle rather then a bang... and also succedes in the current trend of making Sheamus look like a jobber.

Sheamus Vs Evan Bourne: On the plus Bourne is back and gets a win, on the negative Sheamus was injured from the beats thus making the win achieve nothing what so ever... gives no believable momentum for Bourne and wastes a potentially good match. Dud

Michael Cole comes out: It was a decent promo at the end of the day by cole and his dance did raise a smile from me, though it does make me wonder if heel cole would be awesome if he wasn't on commentary as opposed to annoying. Aligning himself with Swagger makes little sense but I sort of like it, the cut of him spraying Kings headset clean was also quite entertaining... but of course now Cole is on commentary so any good he built up here is quickly thrown away.

Randy Orton Vs Mr Imperfect: Orton comes out and cuts a by numbers promo, CM Punk comes out and does what he does and as usual it's good, match gets announced and having waited 35minutes for a proper match we get treated to a non discript squash with it only achieving one good thing and that's potentially putting Mike off screen for a little while. 1/2 *

John Cena challenges The Miz & Alex Riley: Cena cuts a terrible promo after last weeks amusing rap segment... The Miz does merely a passable job on the mic and Alexy Riley totally tanks, a 'Ooooo great' match is announced as Cena challenges Alex Riley with 2 stipulations attached. Cena wins then Alex Riley is fired by The Miz... if The Miz wins then Cena will say he is awesome next week on raw, stupid stipulation if the ever was one and I'd be damned if I see anything this stupid in the near future. Props to WWE using the Cage match correctly by means to prevent interference but all the same... Riley Cena.
Divas Battle Royal: There was me thinking that Kim would get a title shot, as I wouldn't mind seeing Eve Vs Gail Kim for the divas title... might put come credibility into it, but then I noticed one of the Bella's weren't in the match and knew the ending from there... nothing of note happens other then a bit of slapping on the apron from Natalya and Melina... eve comes in after and tries to get the decision reversed then gets ko'd from a clumsy looking shot to her back from one of the Bellas. Pointless & now we get to see a Bella in a 'one on one' match, I'm excited -_-. Dud

The Rock Answers Cena: Mostly good but overlong and some stuff he says makes no sense considering he's on home satellite... the constant cuts to the crowd show they are starting to grow bored of Raw. The promo builds the feud nicely and considering I thought the was no way this would lead to a Match I can't see how this won't end in one now, it was quite an emotionally driven promo. Also the Miz said he would beat Cena and The Rock at wrestlemania so a hint at a triple threat? Who knows.

Shawn Michaels Speaks Out: This was utterly pointless, these 2 guys DO NOT need to be put over and nor does this match & if it does do it in the ad space you already have. Cuts to the crowd show a crowd having a terrible time and this is shown when...

The Miz attacks Daniel Bryan: Daniel Bryan comes out... to no response and The Miz attacks him... to no response, seriously it sounded like the was 10 people in that venue it was sooo flat.... this reminded me why I was so very bored and fed up by this point because instead of having Bryan in a match we have

John Cena Vs Alex Riley in a Cage: Terribly boring cage match, terrible looking drop kick botch... so bad I don't know if it was intentional or not. Nothing happened except Miz trying to stop cena comes out and when he does the reaction is legendarily quiet and the was no climax at all... it all felt unsatisfying, The Miz didn't care... the was no parting shot to Alex Riley so we got no reaction from him and we didn't get a Cena celebration/gloat because he got planted immediatly. DUD

This my friend was a slow, boring show and whilst it served it's purpose on pushing along some rivalries it did it in a illogical, slow and boring matter. Very few moments to redeem it and the amount the show relied on old talent was staggering.2/10
 
Triple H's promo to open Raw was solid but not nearly as good as I was expecting, plus he kept pausing, seemingly waiting for a thunderous chant that never came. He goes on about him and Taker being the last outlaws and all in all the logic and content were good, but the way he delivered it was a little lacklustre, plus the comments he made about the rest of the locker room not being a challenge was needless and served no purpose long term as with most of his shooty crap.

His beatdown of Sheamus was ridiculous, why couldn't they book a match for later in the show or even next week and have Triple H win a competitive battle to blow off their rivalry? instead Triple just beats Sheamus up like a nobody in a fairly basic by the numbers fashion, like it was a chore rather than revenge.

Evan Bourne is back, good news and all, but his match with Sheamus was a weak way to reintroduce him.

The Lawler/Cole promo that made it 3 segs in a row running into each other was up next. I have to say I thought this was a good exchange and set their match up well, I could have done without the ref stip but Swagger as Cole's trainer could be fun.

I don't like Orton as a face and a promo about kicking a guy in the head so hard he cripples him made me sick. Punk did what he could but this was poor stuff, now we have 2 more weeks of jobbers wrestling Orton to see if we can have some outside interference during their match at Mania, wow what a stip that is!! The actual match with Mcgillicutty was bleh but he's not ready, the way Matthews tries to justify Orton's psycho stuff post-match was hilarious.

Miz' promo came from a smart place given the fact everyone is talking about Cena vs Rock, unfortunately he is cut off by Cena who cuts a Kindergarten promo and sets up a match between himself and Riley for the main event with a stip that Riley must leave Miz if Cena wins and it's in a cage............yes, a cage match between a rookie jobber and the companies biggest star.......strange days indeed.

There was a Divas battle Royal that one of the Bella's won, no one cared. I thought they might have made more of an effort with the division since Kong is coming but apparently not, and where is Beth?

Rock appeared via satellite to cut a decent promo on Cena, it went on too long but was more raw than his usual funny type promos, not sure that style works for him so well but it did a good job hyping a match that isn't happening.

The little vid package they showed for Triple H/Taker with HBK talking about their match was well done, as most WWE videos are, they have a great production staff whose work is top class

Daniel Bryan comes out to wrestle, the crowd don't care but I do as it means we might finally get a decent match on this Raw, unfortunately it's just a set up for Miz to lay a beatdown and try and sell himself as a threat, he's not so don't bother.

This leads into an excruciatingly long cage match between Cena and Riley with Miz and Cole waffling to each other on commentary. Overall it was a tediously booked match with dreadful commentary that John Cena won to absolutely no ones surprise.

Personally I thought this was the worst Raw so far this year, not a single decent match, nothing of any substance for Punk or Bryan and JoMo left off the show altogether, that coupled with mostly average promo work bar Cole and Rock, along with this awful Cena/Miz feud and a dire crowd made this one to forget.
 
I just don't get it! John Cena talks about him being there every week but barley takes a bump in his match, Evan Bourne and Daniel Brian are underused, nobody needs shawn michaels opinion, and the Cole vs King feud is holding raw 2gether right now
 
Two terrible RAW shows in a row.

Don't have the nerve to be 'surprised' when your ratings plummet!

And please don't complain about the fans not getting behind the young talent when all you do is bury them!

Sheamus continues to get destroyed, the entire New Nexus will quickly be decimated by yet another 'one-man wrecking crew', your US Champion gets obliterated for NO REASON, and then we get to see Cena mop the floor with yet another young talent in Riley (while breaking up the Riley/Miz combo).

And no I didn't forget that the best thing you can come up with for former World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger is 'training Michael Cole'?!?!?!?

And good luck trying in vain to 'pimp' up that sorry, geriatric 'Wrestlemania Rewind' match as your Wrestlemania main event!

Newsflash!!!!

Your 'creative team' sucks, starting with your daughter!

Hopefully, when this year's Wrestlemania delivers lousy buyrates, some folks will realize that and the much-needed changes will be made.
 
Last night's RAW was..well...awful. The matches seemed to be done half-assed and thrown together poorly. The promos weren't bad but they weren't great either. HHH's promo was decent but is the WWE going to forget about the fact that HHH already lost to Taker 10 @ WM17? HHH acted liked they have never met before.

This whole Rock/Cena thing, to me, is taking away from the WWE title match at Mania. The Miz is being lost in the shuffle and that is not good for this main event.

A lot of pointless spots last night like Sheamus being beat down by HHH. Is that the end of the feud? DB being beat down by the Miz? Why? I kow they have history but that did nothing for me.

One last note, I have never seen a crowd so dead like the one in Buffalo last night. No huge pops for anyone...not even The Rock. That fact made the whole show seem boring.
 
OK, I havent posted in a while and I just watched possibly one of the worst Raws in a long time.

First of all we have Triple H's music. And Paul Leveque comes out looking like he's been working in the office for the past year. I guess somewhere under that "Matt Hardy gut" is the real Triple H. Anyway, apparently he;s back to face the Deadman, who cant be bothered to show up on Raw less than a month from Wrestlemania. He says he has "outlasted them all." Kind of easy to do that when you are the damn boss. BTW, Lawler has been there longer and he has put in a helluva lot more ring time lately..

Now Sheamus comes out, possibly carrying a shovel because it's time for his career to get BURIED!!! Yep---he dont get in one lick.Pedigree through the announce table, after Boss Paul removes the moniters --gotta watch the budget these days. And if that's not enough, let's job the two time champ to a guy half his size in under a minute. Enjoy Superstars, Sheamus---whatever heat you once had is gone now.

And now we get the Announcer Wars-2011! So glad we get a 61 year old and an announcer to face off at the biggest--and most expensive--event of the year. I know I'm ordering NOW!! And Jack Swaggar with the WORST ANKLE LOCK EVER!! Who's the ref? Hopefully Austin--stun both their asses and get on with the show!

Here comes Randy Orton--cutting pretty much the same promo he has every week since turning face. Cena and Punk had potential. Orton and Punk does not--Orton back to a heel NOW! Perfect Junior comes out and misses a ton of spots. Best part was him getting punted back to the farm system.

And now we have the Miz. Folks, he's really not that good on the mic. He basically says the exact same thing every week. Cena comes out and basically starts a round of doo doo jokes with Riley. I know it's PG, folks, but is this really the best you can do? Even in the Hulkamania days, they could get the crowd into it without toilet bowl humor. Who is your main demographic now? 6 year old boys? Creepy....

Now it's the Rock. Now what's the point of the doo doo jokes in the previous segment when the Rock goes circa 1999 right after that? WWE has screwed up big with this one. Rock vs Cena vs Miz Triple Threat HAS TO HAPPEN NOW. You dont cut these kind of promos for a special referee or a guest host. You want a buy rate? MAKE THE DAMN MATCH!

Is it just me, or can you not wait to see Awesome Kong come down and lay waste to the entire Diva division?

Cena-Riley was actually a decent match with the Miz drawing heat on the outside. Had a good old school feel to it. Of course, Cena muscling his way out the the cage really make Miz look like a threat dont it?

All in all, there was really nothing redeeming about this show. It sure dont make me want to drop 60 dollars on Wrestlemania...

But it's not the worst thing on---there's always Impact....
 

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