Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

MizFit Brocko · Apr 26, 2011

Im so pissed that after all the time on SD! being built as a main eventer, Ziggler is now going to be left on RAW doing absolutely nothing.

He built the prestige up on the IC Title, feuded with Edge and was actually Champ for a few days, now he is losing to Orton in 2 minute throwaway matches and losing to Morrison the last few weeks. Incredible really considering how much talent this guy has...

Other than that, what a waste of everyone's time Cena going back and forth was, why bother? Same as Henry.... No one cares anymore.

God i hope that in the supplementary draft tomorrow that Ryder and Ziggler get drafted to Smackdown. They aren't going to get a chance on RAW.

Heavens Vibe · Apr 26, 2011

Ignoring the Wrestling because Vince said so, I found the entertainment quite good and the draft did have me on my toes..sorta...

Overall it was good, i wont bother with star ratings but its was good.

trendkiller · Apr 26, 2011

Allow me to shit all over RAW this week. This was by far the worst episode of RAW since the old-school RAW and it contained all the elements that made me fast-forward through episode after episode in 2008-2010:

* Non-wrestlers... wrestling (non-superstars superstarring?). Cole vs JR is ... just ... headsplosion-inducing.

* Cena being double-drafted. The WWE learned nothing from the HHHate of 1999-2004.

* Eve vs Layla needs to be either 1) porn or 2) an inferno hell in a cell match, since neither can actually perform any actual wrestling moves.

* Mark Henry? What, again?

* Why does the WWE shit on Sheamus, then pick him up, dust him off and shit on him again, repeated ad nauseum? Just make up your mind if you want to push the bastard son of Ronald McDonald and Count Dracula, already...

* Ziggler. See above (Mr. Perfect/Rick Rude). Where the hell was Vickie?

* Mason Ryan and Evan Bourne defends the RAW colors against Big Show and Kofi in the opener finish. Koko B. Ware and Double-J defends the RAW colors against André The Giant and Supafly? What the hell? Weird booking. Shouldn't your, I don't know, strongest names last the longest?

* <30 minutes of wrestling. And that's including the abortion that was Cole vs JR and Eve vs Layla. Not to mention that there were two mega-multi-man matches instead of any decent, competetive matches.

... man, this Draft was shitty. 2/10.

Jack-Hammer · Apr 26, 2011

I don't really have time for an in-depth review so I'll keep it brief.

Overall, I really enjoyed last night's Raw. I enjoy the Draft episodes and I thought last night's Draft, generally, was one of the better ones in recent years. Cena getting drafted to SD! was a real surprise. I expected Orton but not Cena so it kept me on my toes and wondering what was gonna happen with this situation. The only draft pick that generated zero interest with me was Mark Henry going to SD!. Mysterio & Del Rio moving to Raw while Sin Cara moved to the blue brand was a good idea in my view. Right now, I prefer to keep Mysterio & Sin Cara apart. Cena being drafted back to Raw gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I would've preferred Cena stay on SD! but, on the other, it was genuinely surprising to see a wrestler drafted to one brand get drafted back to the other. Some don't like it but I thought it was a nice surprise. One big complaint people have about the Draft is that it doesn't come off as random enough, so the situation with Cena did provide a very random feel to me even though it wasn't.

I thought most of the wrestling content was ok generally speaking. Most of the matches were short but most of them were also solid for what they were. I thought Kofi vs. Sheamus was a solid, physical match that seemed to go much longer than it did. The Divas match was a total dud and I was turned off by the Cole vs. Jim Ross match last night. I've enjoyed the Cole/Lawler feud for the most part but it's time to end it. I'm hoping that ER is the brush off for this feud because it's starting to get tiresome. I thought the main event was fun and there was just a ton of energy all night.

One negative thing about last night was that everything seemed to be in a rush. It had the feel of one of those shows that has changes made to it at the last possible second and there's just so much to get through. Last night was the Draft plus the go home Raw for Extreme Rules.

Generally speaking though, I enjoyed last night's show and I'd give it about a B-.

The numbers for last night's Raw are in and a definite improvement over last week. Raw drew a 3.5 rating with 5.2 million viewers. The draft and the fact that Raw was live again this week probably played signifigant roles. With The Rock being on the show next week, expect Raw to pop another big rating.

Jack-Hammer · Apr 30, 2011

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! - April 29, 2011

Opening Segment - Overall I liked this segment though I wasn't all that crazy about seeing McIntyre & Riley fed to Orton. I didn't see any point to it as Randy Orton is already as over as can be. The segment did have a lot of energy about it and the crowd was definitely hot for Orton. McIntyre has improved his promo skills. Last night was really the first time in months I've heard him say something and it was nice to see him injecting some personality into it instead of being this stoic, mad at the world Scottsman. I would have LOVED to have seen him get the better of Orton before going to Raw but that's not how it went down. Del Rio is a furnace and got tons of heat out there. Christian running out to stand by Orton was a nice way to set up the tag team main event. Nothing overly spectacular happened, but there was some good energy, it was nice to see McIntyre show some personality and it should be a good main event. Thumbs Up

Kofi Kingston & Sheamus - It looked as though there was gonna be a match between these two but Sheamus jumped Kofi as the latter was making his entrance. I loved Sheamus' intensity here as he delivered a quality beating to Kofi. I especially liked where he's just tossing Kofi into the barricade or into the steps as it just looked stiff as hell. This could be a prelude to these two having a surprise match at Extreme Rules. Thumbs Up

Sin Cara vs. Jack Swagger - There was a good deal of action in this match, which is why it seemed to be closer to the 8 or 9 minute mark for me than the 3.5 minutes it actually was. I thought Swagger & Cara showed good chemistry together, some of Swagger's best matches have been against Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara is roughly the same size. Sin Cara also seems to be finding his rhythm as his spots were crisp and looked great. Both of them got in a good amount of offense and told a good story of the big athletic man vs. the small athletic man well. Sin Cara gets the win with a victory roll but it could, at least to some degree, be argued that Cole had some slight hand in Swagger losing as he tried to hand him a "foreign object" in the match while Swagger was seemingly in control. **1/4

Kane & The Big Show vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel - This match was better than the one they had last week. Truth is, this is really the best Gabriel & Slater have looked as a team. I was impressed to see Gabriel take down Show and just keep at him with a lot of fast, hard kicks to keep him on the mat. Once Kane was tagged in, the match quickly went south for Slater & Gabriel. Kane hit most of his usual spots & moves and the match eventually ends with Kane & Show performing a double chokeslam about the 8.5 minute mark. Not a great match, but better than last week. *1/4

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry - This match surprised me. We all know that Mark Henry isn't exactly Kurt Angle or Shawn Michaels, but he had one of the better matches I've seen him have in a long time here. It wasn't a classic by any stretch but it's about as good as you can ever get out of Mark Henry. He & Mysterio told the story of the big man vs. little man really well and I also liked that Henry didn't spend the match just utterly dominating Rey. Both of them got in a pretty good amount of offense. Mysterio took some big moves in which Henry's 200 pound weight advantage and looked resilient while Henry did a good job of looking like an arrogant monster heel that was toying with Rey at times or thought he could end it at anytime. The match ends via DQ when Cody Rhodes comes out and pulls Rey off the turnbuckle as he's climbing up to go for a move. Cody delivers a pretty good beatdown on Rey before putting another paper bag over his head. Good final push for their match tomorrow. **

Michelle McCool vs. Layla - This match only lasted about a minute before they were both counted out but it was a nice physical brawl that we don't usually see out of the Divas. They were all over each other out at ringside with the refs trying to separate them. There was a pretty good "let them fight" chant and how often do you hear that chanted for the Divas??? Layla challenged Michelle to a match at Extreme Rules with no count outs and no DQ. Michelle accepts but adds a stipulation that it's a "loser leaves WWE" match. I'm told that, initially, she said "SmackDown!" because you could tell that the "WWE" was dubbed in. So it looks as though the rumors about Michelle McCool leaving are true. If they give these two time, they could pull off a really good match at Extreme Rules. N/A

Christian Promo - Matt Striker interviewed Christian backstage and I thought Christian gave a great promo in which he brings up the question of his own full potential and destiny. While I don't agree with the comment about him feeling that he wasn't even worthy to touch the WHC, I do like that Christian did a good job of putting over the championship and how important it is to him. Thumbs Up

Randy Orton & Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay - I thought this was a very good tv main event and it was a good means of establishing Christian as one of the top faces of SmackDown! It was a fun, energetic match in which everyone was given some time to show off what they've got and tell a good story. Clay did look green at some spots in the match but, generally speaking, he did his job well. I like how he & Christian work together, which Christian is one of these guys that can pull off a great match with just about anyone. The match ends around the 15 minute mark with Orton catching Clay in an RKO. Fun main event that gives the babyfaces a little extra boost going into ER. ***

Overall Show - I enjoyed SmackDown! last night and didn't really have any major complaints. Really the only part that annoyed me was seeing McIntyre & Riley fed to Orton at the top of the show. I just didn't see a need or a reason to do it other than to make Orton look more dominant and that's damn near impossible at this point. I wasn't all that hot for the tag title match but it was better than last week's. Sin Cara vs. Jack Swagger was a good solid match between two guys with good chemistry. Sheamus delivered a quality beatdown on Kofi Kingston and made a good first impression for his first night on SmackDown!. Rey Mysterio managed to pull a pretty decent match out of Mark Henry, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. There was a good, intense segment with Layla & Michelle McCool. This is going to be a quick, one match feud that ends at Extreme Rules and I've got no complaints. I think the girls are capable of delivering a good match and I don't think most people are anxious to see a feud between them get dragged out. The tag team main event was a high energy, quality match that sent the crowd home happy and gave Christian a nice rub. All in all, a good solid episode of SmackDown!.

Grade: B

MrHashasheen · Apr 30, 2011

Orton on Smackdown - huge pop for the new main-event face of Smackdown as he beats up Drew McIntyre (who really did good here in his pre-beating promo) and Alex Riley, who I could care less about. Not helping their careers, but whatever. Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay come out to put over Extreme Rules and Alberto Del Rio, Christian comes out when Alberto looks to attack Randy and we get our tag-team main event from Teddy Long. Very nice, a good B segment.

Sheamus beats up Kofi – I like Sheamus a lot and he has to be my favorite wrestler from Europe and the UK at the moment, so I’m kinda disappointed he isn’t looking to make the face-turn just yet. It got over Sheamus and Kofi’s got his chance to rebuild on Raw, so we’ll just wait and see as to what happens on that end. C+ for this segment, since it seemed quite stiff and it come across as overdone.

Michael Cole – Dear god does this man irritate me. I realize that’s the point and X-Pac heat is just as a good as regular heat these days with such a smarkified fanbase, but what’s the point? He’s still going to be around after Extreme Rules, and he’s probably going to be the exact same person and doing the exact same things. He puts over Jack decently, so I guess that’s worth a C- for this segment.

Swagger vs. Sin Cara – And we have our first match of the night, a remarkable 23 minutes into the program. Swagger and Sin Cara are both favorites of mine, so lets see how they do. Am dreading Booker T on commentary though... and I immediatly take that back, as Booker T makes a good point about Sin Cara’s ability to go toe to toe and not just work his lucha awesomeness. This match was all about Sin Cara’s lucha tricks and kicks versus Swagger’s grappling and brawling, and while the finish was a little … expected as it was a bit too slow, it was still a good match with both wrestlers meshing their styles rather well. . Cole bitches at Swagger after this epic small package Sin Cara did on top of Swagger’s head. Fuming, Swagger then charges at Cara, who lets him go over the third rope and then hits him with a flying cross-body. C+ match, really good from both
guys.

Kharma Promo – As good as usual. B- Video vignette.

Kane & Big Show versus Corre (Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel) – Title defense/rematch starts as I wonder why Kane and Big Show don’t work as a tag-team full-time under the name of the Titans. Silly, I know, but I refuse to call a tag-team a tag-team unless they have a name. Anyway, Slater and Show open as Slater does his job of being the weakest link of Corre and selling Show’s moves. Apparently Corre was doing quick tags throughout the break, and Gabriel seems to be doing better than Slater with his sleeper hold. Kane comes in and there’s a botch where Kane hits empty air as Slater’s already half-way down. Anyway, a double choke-slam ends this as the referee just blatantly lets Show come in to do the choke-slam. This match rates a C from me. Decent action and a story being said primarily around Heath Slater’s refusal to get pinned made it what it was. Imo, I think Kane/Show need a long run as they get to rebuilding the tag-team division. REBUILD IT.

Jinder Mahal debuts – I am torn on this. Jinder’s one of my favorites down in FCW, and its good to see him up in Smackdown. But his new heel, corporatish look and the way he was treated by Khali and Ranjin doesn’t bode for a tag-team with Khali, so I’m clueless as to what his push will be. Still, Khali looking awestruck to see him is going to bode well for Mahal’s popularity with the WWE Indian fans. I guess I’d give it a C for this, since it was done well, but not the way I liked.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry – Decent match, considering Henry’s in it. Back and forth action as this has to be Henry’s best match in like … ever. Cody Rhodes makes it a DQ as he does a beatdown and puts some paper-bag on him. C match, if only for the ending and Rhodes. Otherwise it’d probably be a C-.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla – There are times when you have to look at a match as more of an angle and less of a match. This was one of those times, as a brawl between the two divas occurred with the crowd actually into it if I heard correctly. McCool makes the edited challenge to Layla and I’ll be grateful to see McCool off of television and pushing Layla. I know a lot of people might not agree with it, but whatever. C+ for this match/angle/segment.

Christian Promo - Excellent. I might get called a Christian mark, but the man has all the skills to main-event Smackdown. A- promo, easily. Guess they’re getting the fans ready for a Christian run with the title with all the self-doubt he’s professing.

Randy Orton & Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay - An excellent main event on television, where everyone had time to show their stuff and there was a good pace to it. Clay dragged it down, imo, but considering my dislike of him, I’m going to ignore my own opinion on the matter. Easily a B- match and a great way to cap off a decent showing of Smackdown as we go into Extreme Rules. Orton taking out Clay only adds to his momentum on Smackdown, though I’d have preferred Christian have done it. He could have used the momentum more.

Overall Grade and other thoughts: I’d give this show a B. There was action, there was plot and character development and it was an enjoyable episode of Smackdown. My problems with this episode are two-fold: Orton and Extreme Rules. In the former, having him RKO three young talents to give him momentum while he’s clearly sky-high at the moment seems unnecessary. Add to that the fact that I'm not a fan of Orton, I'm dreading his impact on Smackdown somewhat.

In the latter, I think the fact the draft was done before Extreme Rules hurt this episode of Smackdown, since the draft is something that completely changes the storylines of a brand and therefore should be best used after a PPV where resolutions have occurred. At the same time, I realize that it probably would have been somewhat duller without leaving and incoming wrestlers making their appearances, since we’d have had to watch Smackdown’s storylines basically repeat themselves from last week without something to spice it up.

DarthSaeris · May 3, 2011

Well Raw was Rock's Birthday party tonight. It wasn't too bad of an episode. Had some different matches going on for a change, except for the Cena-Miz match. I'm sick of both those turds! Cena said something to Rock about having the belt until Wrestlemania 28....please God no!

Anyways, here is my review. I actually enjoyed this episode more than the past three put together. RAW REVIEW - May 2nd 2011

martymcfly · May 3, 2011

Raw was lame tonight. Now don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the rock (not a fanatic, just a fan). But come on. Tonight's birthday thing was way over the top and unnecessary. Rock is not a great american hero but they did everything on this show tonight short of giving him a parade. Seriously, if you removed all the unnecessary rock segments there was...what, a half hour of actual wrestling?

Again, don't get me wrong...I don't have a problem with the Rock but breaking out Mya so the entire arena can sing happy birthday to him? I had to roll my eyes so much that they ached and if I had been taking a drink at the time I probably would have gagged.

Now I know there are rock fanatics out there that might get incensed, and I just want to put out the fires before they start by saying there's no need to respond to this telling me that I'm an insensitive idiot or to provide a laundry list of the rock's accomplishments to explain why you feel it was warranted to gush over him like he is the greatest hero the world has ever seen. Just stating my opinion that in retrospect, it was way over the top and seemed really ridiculous.

MrDASHINGaRROGaNCE · May 3, 2011

Miz vs Cena was awful just bleeh...The rocks b-day celebration bleeh...The only good thing about RAW was Cole taking the rocks bottom and peoples elbow.

Oh and Maryse getting her implants busted via kharma :lmao:

Nate DaMac · May 3, 2011

Opening Segment- Exactly what I expected it to be and you're an idiot if you thought it would be any different. No one can work a crowd like Rock can and tonight was no different. The fact that Cole got his ass kicked in a Celtics jersey was icing on the cake.

R-Truth kicks Morrison's ass again- You'd think that eventually Morrison would figure out that he isn't safe while he's doing his entrance. He did the same thing to Truth last week, the fuck did he think was going to happen? I did really like this though. I think they're holding off on putting him in the ring since his heel turn is working so perfectly, it'd be a shame for them to put him in the ring and have everyone remember why they didn't care about him in the first place.

Divas shit- I knew immediately that Kharma was coming to fuck shit up and I'm glad she did. The only thing I didn't get was why she left Kelly alone. That's not a bad thing though, it adds a bit of intrigue to her character, and I honestly can't wait to see where it goes.

Miz vs Cena- Fucking awesome tv match, clearly the best that these 2 have ever had with each other. I've already posted my thoughts on this in another thread though, don't feel like repeating.

Kofi & Rey vs Swagger & McIntyre- Standard tag team fare. It seems as if we're going to get Rey vs Alberto again, which I'm okay with surprisingly.

Mason Ryan vs Kane- Not really much of a match, basically just here to further an angle. It appears that Ryan is going AWOL so maybe Nexus will finally be relevant in some aspect again.

Closing Segment- This kind of fell flat to me. Sure it was a nice moment and I'm certain Vince just wanted to give Rock some praise for basically single-handedly getting him the million buys for Mania, but it ran a little too long and nothing too interesting happened. Nice video package though.

Overall- I think it was a solid show. We're seeing some seeds being planted for the next PPV and we had some good wrestling to boot. A little too much focus on The Rock which I was fully expecting but still, I got tired of it after a while. That's really the only knock on this show for me though.

3.5/5

The Calgary Kid · May 3, 2011

Arguably one of the worst Raws in a while. I love The Rock. I have always been a fan of The Rock. Did we need to devote 90 minutes of the show to ******ing him, though? Why was the only decisive finish of the night in a meaningless tag team match? Why was a WWE Title match at 10:00 and followed by a couple of throwaway matches? The finish of that match was rubbish, too. Also brilliant how Cena got pinned before the decision was reversed and immediately said he was going to hold the belt for the next 11 months. Great writing there. Here's hoping they throw us a bone next week and pull out one of those episodes that feels as though it's got enough content for two shows' worth of satisfaction.

X · May 3, 2011

WWE RAW 5/2/11
May 2nd, 2011
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 16,000 +/- ?

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]We're less than 24 hours removed from the big Extreme Rules PPV, and we've got two new World champions in John Cena and for the very first time (finally), Christian. Tonight is a big night and a big episode of RAW though because it's The Rock's birthday and he is in the arena for tonight's show in what's being advertised as the "biggest birthday celebration in TV history". With the huge news last night that Osama bin Laden has been captured and killed by US forces breaking I'm sure we can also expect a patriotic tone to tonight's show, so let's jump right in.

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]We open with a video package showing new clips of the 9/11 attacks and George W. Bush's subsequent address to the nation. Fast forward to two nights later during the special September 13th live edition of Smackdown, which was one of the first big major public assemblies since the attacks. Credit to Vince, this was a hell of a show ten years ago (good god has it really been that long? I'm getting old) and the clips still put across the emotion of that night tremendously. We go to the live opening where the returning Lillian Garcia is in the ring to sing the National Anthem. Always nice to see Lillian again and she does a great job here as always. She leads the crowd in a big "USA!" chant after she's finished and this is quite the moment. New opening video package for the RAW theme song as well, highlighting some of the new members of the RAW roster who've come over in last week's draft.[/FONT]

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Josh Matthews

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Tonight John Cena defends his newly won WWE title against The Miz in a re-match in our main event.[/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]The Rock's music hits next and The Great One is live and in the building tonight on RAW! He gets his usual monster pop that still puts most of the current roster to shame. On his way to the ring he throws up the "U" hand gesture sign for the Miami of University, his alma mater. As usual Rock takes his sweet ass time getting to the ring before he finally picks up the mic about five minutes later. "Finally, The Rock has come back...(long suspenseful pause)...home". As always the crowd is eating out of his hand the minute he begins speaking. Rock says he has one thing to say before we start..."We got him!" in reference to Osama, prompting another round of "USA!" chants. Rock thanks the men and women of our armed forces and decides to lead the crowd in an impromptu Pledge of Allegiance, which just about everyone in the crowd joins him in doing. Huge crowd tonight by the way, this place has to be nearly full. Rock shows a picture of himself in high school, rocking the Menudo-like mustache but makes up for it by claiming to have gotten more pie with that mustache than King Kong Bundy in a bakery. Next he recaps his time at the University of Miami and the Orange Bowl he helped them win and lets everyone know he's ready to party tonight. He gets midway through the "If ya smell" catch phrase before suddenly the lights flicker and Michael Cole gets on the mic as the anonymous RAW GM has sent an e-mail, but before Cole can read it The Rock tells him if he has the nerve to interrupt the Rock on his birthday, he should atleast be decent enough to come into the ring to read the email to The Rock's face. He calls Cole a "drunk hobbit jack-bag bitch", whatever the hell that is, and Cole is not amused. Cole says he's not the same kid that Rocky used to punk on TV ten years ago and that he's a winner now. Cole takes off his jacket to reveal a Kevin Garnett Boston Celtics jersey! As a Celtics fan, Cole just went up in my book. He brags about all the titles the Celtics have won and claims they're going to add one more this year. Hardcore heel stuff here for Cole in Miami, but as a Boston boy I'm loving this and Cole is coming off like a babyface to me. Cole gets into the ring and says that the RAW GM demands an apology from The Rock for his actions back at Wrestlemania, and if he doesn't apologize he's going to shut down the Rock's party tonight. Cole adds that he too wants an apology for all of the embarrassment that he's caused him over the years. The Rock apologizes to Cole and offers his hand to him, which Cole accepts, and then he says "Go Heat" and gives Cole the Rock Bottom and the People's Elbow to the crowd's delight. The Rock invites out Mr. 305, rapper and singer Pitbull, who gets a surprisingly big pop from this crowd. He sings a strange little Spanish song that sounds like a Taco Bell advertisement to me, but hey, I don't speak Spanish so what are you going to do. He continues performing and a bunch of Miami Heat cheerleaders come out to do background dancing during the performance. I'm not exactly a Pitbull fan, but the crowd seemed to enjoy this and he is a Miami celebrity, so it makes sense. Before the commercial break we get a pre-taped message from Lebron James and Dwayne Wade wishing The Rock a happy birthday and doing the "If ya smell" catchphrase. Cool that they were able to get those two to do that. Lawler and Matthews hype a match between John Morrison and R-Truth as we go to commercial. Fun opening segment that got the crowd all kinds of fired up for the show.[/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]When we return from commercial we're joined by the Hall of Famer Jim Ross at the announcer's table! I really wish they'd just bring him back full-time since he shows up to commentate on RAW every week anyways. John Morrison comes out for his match against Truth next, but before he can even get to the ring he's jumped from behind by R Truth, who gives him the What's Up (reverse STO) on the ringside floor. We cut to commercial again and as we return we get another birthday message for The Rock, this time from Jimmy Kimmel.[/FONT]

Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Hey, look, a wrestling match! Oh wait it's the divas, nevermind. Atleast they chose the two hottest divas. Hopefully Kharma comes out to destroy these two, and literally as soon as I type that, her theme music hits and here comes the former Awesome Kong. She hits the ring and gives Maryse the big implant buster, which I guess is going to be her new finisher in the WWE. She sets her attention to Kelly next but just walks off instead, leaving Kelly a frightened mess in the ring. We never heard a second bell, but it's obviously a no contest within seconds. [/FONT][FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif][N/R][/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Backstage The Miz complains to Alex Riley about losing the title last night before promising to win back the title later tonight. The next birthday message to The Rock is from his Fast Five co-star Paul Walker, who looks like he's aged 20 years since I last saw him. When we return we get another birthday message, this time from his co-star in The Other Guys, Samuel L. Jackson, who looks like he's about to go to the park to feed some pigeons. Backstage The Rock is talking up the divas about singing a Happy Birthday song to the First Lady. Teddy Long and Vladimir Kozlov wish him a happy birthday as Santino walks up dressed as The Rock's new character in the Fast and Furious film. Hornswoggle runs in moments later dressed as The Scorpion King but he has a tooth ache apparently, so he calls in the Tooth Fairy, played by the Great Khali. This is one bizarre segment. To sum up my feelings, here comes Ron Simmons to say his trademark "DAMN!" for the first time in a few years. Always nice to see Ron, who like The Rock is also a former Florida college football great. Our next birthday message is from Steve Carrell, who does a great job wishing The Rock a happy birthday against his will. [/FONT]

WWE Title Match
John Cena © vs. The Miz

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Cena surprisingly doesn't get booed out of the building in The Rock's hometown. Surprising to see this go on at the half-way point in the show, so I'm guessing the end of the show will feature some interaction between Cena and The Rock. This has got a big match feel to it and the thing hasn't even started yet. Miz tries working a side headlock to start but Cena shoots him off quickly and gives him a hip-toss dropkick combo for a quick one count. Big bulldog gets another near fall for Cena. Alex Riley jumps up on the apron and quickly eats a clothesline from Cena, but it gives Miz enough time to deliver a clothesline of his own to Cena. Miz ties up the ref while Riley attacks Cena on the floor. Back inside The Miz hits a double axe-handle off the top for a near fall as we cut to commercial while the dueling "Let's Go Cena!" "Cena sucks!" chants start up. When we return Miz delivers a neckbreaker to Cena for a close two count. It's astounding how much better the in-ring action comes off with Jim Ross back at the commentary booth, as everything immediately becomes more credible just from his play-by-play. Miz misses his running clothesline into the corner and gets hit with a pair of big shoulderblocks from Cena. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but Miz appears to poke him in the eye and then gives him a big boot. Cena grabs The Miz and locks in the STFU but Miz gets the rope break quickly. Miz comes back with a high-impact DDT but Cena gets the shoulder up at two as this crowd is red hot into this match. Riley distracts the ref for a bit while The Miz exposes a turnbuckle pad, but Cena blocks getting thrown into it and tries for the Attitude Adjustment again, but Miz counters with a great reverse DDT/neckbreaker combo for another close two count. Miz looks for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Cena blocks it and gets tossed into the ref, sending him to the floor. Cena locks in the STFU again and The Miz taps, but there's no ref. Cena celebrates like he's won while Riley hits the ring to interfere. Cena tries for the Attitude Adjustment on Riley but Miz slams the steel briefcase into Cena's midsection and delivers the Skull Crushing Finale. The ref recovers and goes to make the count but somehow Cena kicks out at two! Miz gets up and walks right into the Attitude Adjustment from Cena though, but he too shockingly kicks out at two! Kicking out of the Attitude Adjustment? That definitely gives Miz some credibility points. Riley distracts the ref again and The Miz grabs the WWE title belt and smashes it into Cena's face, and gets the cover for the cheap win and seemingly wins back the title at [/FONT]9:19 [FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif](shown)! The ref sees that the title belt is already in the ring though, and he reverses the decision, DQing the Miz and giving the title back to Cena. Creative finish to a very hot and exciting television title match, this was probably the best singles match these two men have had together yet. [/FONT][FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]***[/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Ellen DeGeneres and Tyler Perry both wish The Rock a happy birthday. [/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]When we return we see a video that was shot after the Extreme Rules went off the air last night in which John Cena got on the mic after he won his match and announced to the live crowd that Osama bin Laden had been caught and killed (or as he put it "compromised to a permanent end"). Cena says he feels damn proud to be an American, and the show ends with a military theme playing as he salutes the ecstatic crowd. I saw this on YouTube last night and it was a great moment then, and looked even better on HD film here.[/FONT]

Rey Mysterio/Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger/Drew McIntyre

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Alberto Del Rio comes out to ringside first to join the commentary team, for what reason, I'm not quite sure. Perhaps he'll be restarting the feud with Rey? Swagger and Mysterio start us off, and these two have always had very good chemistry together going back to their great series of matches last summer. Rey and Kofi utilize a bit of double-team offense on Swagger to start. We cut to commercial and when we return Swagger is working a headlock on Kofi. The heels isolate Kofi in their corner for a few minutes, building up heat for the eventual hot tag, and Kofi gets that hot tag moments later and cleans house on Drew with a big hurricanrana and a stiff kick that gets him a near fall. Kofi takes out Swagger and hits the Trouble in Paradise on Drew, and Rey follows it up with the 619 and a top rope splash for the win at 5:35 (shown). After the match Rey dropkicks Del Rio and they have a stand-off. Average formula tag match with a hot finish. **[/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Ludacris and Dan Marino both wish The Rock a happy birthday. Marino sounds like he's reading off a cue card. [/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Backstage The Rock congratulates Christian on his title win last night. I was hoping these two would interact at some point considering Christian was The Rock's self-proclaimed "favorite wrestler" back during his 2003 heel run, and I'm glad they were able to fit a bit of interaction between the two into the show. Vickie Guerrero shows up to crash the party with her boy-toy Dolph Ziggler and they give The Rock his birthday present...Mae Young. Wow she looks even more ancient than usual. Vickie and Dolph laugh about how old Mae is but The Rock shuts them up quickly by telling Vickie she'll never look as beautiful as Mae Young. He puts the both of them in their place and thanks Mae for coming out and then gives her a big kiss on the lips and tells Dolph that he gets more pie in one night than Ziggler does in a lifetime. He turns around though and standing right in front of him is John Cena, with the WWE title on his shoulder. He tells The Rock he's going to keep the title all the way until Wrestlemania 28 (cue the braindead pseudo-smarks crying their eyes out over another long Cena title reign) so that their match will be a title match, as promised. Rock tells him to "Just Bring It" and Cena wishes him a Happy Birthday before taking off. I've got goosebumps from that interaction. [/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]George Lopez wishes The Rock a happy birthday and tapes on a lame eyebrow, proving yet again that you don't have to be funny or talented to have your own television show. [/FONT]

Kane vs. Mason Ryan

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Ryan is accompanied to the ring by CM Punk, who's been notable by his absence tonight. I guess they don't want to give him much TV time if he really is going to let his contract expire and take a break from the WWE. Big Show is nowhere to be found surprisingly. JR lets us know this isn't going to be a "catch as catch can classic" (say that five times fast), which is a nice way of saying this is going to suck. Kane tries a side headlock but Ryan fights it off and takes him down with a shoulder-block. He scoop slams Kane and whips him into the corner only to eat a big boot from the Big Red Machine. Punk goes into the ring to try and interfere and Kane fights him off, but the ref calls for the bell anyways and DQs Ryan at [/FONT]1:40[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]. After the match the new Nexus hits the ring to attack Kane but he fights them off. He goes to chokeslam Ryan but Mason blocks it and delivers a side-slam as the Nexus continues the beatdown until the Big Show runs out to make the save, but Ryan takes him down as well with ease. That was one minute and forty seconds of my life I'll never get back, but the post-match stuff did a good job of putting over Mason Ryan as force to be reckoned with. [/FONT][FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]DUD[/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa wish the Rock a Happy Birthday, as does Craig Ferguson. [/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif]The Rock's music hits again and he comes down to the ring as JR and Josh put over all of the money spent on The Rock's Team Bring It t-shirts going to the Wounded Warrior Project. He asks the fans if they had a good time tonight, which he gets a great pop for of course. He thanks his family at ringside tonight and holy crap all-mighty they apparently passed out birthday hats during the break as almost everyone in attendance seems to be wearing one. The Rock gives the fans his word that next year's Wrestlemania will be the biggest Wrestlemania of all time...when suddenly Mr. McMahon's music hits! The Chairman of the Board is in attendance! Vince comes out to the stage with a mic and wishes The Rock a happy birthday. You should be on your knees kissing the man's feet right now Vince considering him just showing up at Wrestlemania got you one million buys. He thanks The Rock for all he's done and gives The Rock his birthday present, an excellent video package highlighting The Rock's life and career, his family, and his comeback this year. Really great video package that not even P. Diddy's music could ruin. After the video package R&B singer Mya comes out and leads the crowd in a big Happy Birthday song. I always felt awkward when people were singing me the birthday song on my birthdays as a kid, so I can't imagine how awkward it must be having 16,000 people sing to you. Nice way to close off the show and it's clear that The Rock appreciates everything that was done for him tonight. He thanks everyone one final time, asks if they smell what The Rock is cooking, and that finishes off the show as streamers fall from the ceiling and The Rock's music plays us out.[/FONT]

[/FONT]

Bottom Line: This was definitely a different kind of show, so be forewarned going in that if you're a fan of wrestling-heavy shows and dislike sports entertainment, you'll probably hate a large portion of this show. Still, even for the wrestling fans, we still got a great TV match tonight with John Cena and The Miz and the rest of the show was extremely entertaining and a fun night of festivities for both The Rock and the WWE fans. In the long run it's a bit of a throwaway show, but it's an extraordinarily entertaining one at that. Thumbs Up.

Score: 7/10

[FONT=trebuchet ms,sans-serif][/FONT]REMEMBER! You can find ALL of my reviews and match ratings at my blog:
X's Wrestling Review

EStreet · May 3, 2011

A very different kind of show indeed. This was a real push in my opinion into Entertainment and WWE was not just celebrating the Rock, it was promoting itself as a truly powerful entertainment brand. Two musical guests (didn't see it mentioned anywhere on this, or any wrestling site, prior); multiple appearances by late night hosts and actors who will undoubtedly garner TMZ-type attention. Heck, it wouldn't shock me to see Lebron and Dwade on ESPN tmrw with their little Rock tribute.

I get this cannot happen most nights, but it definitely proved that Raw can be an entertainment spectacle on occasion. The Rock is an international movie star so he naturally lends the WWE leverage in the pure entertainment community. If the Rock is back for the next year to simply broker the transition into Entertainment, then he is doing a huge favor to Vince and WWE.

With that said, if you get over the lack of wrestling, the night was great. The opening tribute to America, followed by Rocks opening had the crowd truly electric. I felt the crowd tonight was hotter than last nights PPV, especially during the Cena-Miz bout. It had big night feel. I loved tonight's Raw for the feeling it had from the crowd. And the Rock was on point tonight - he rises to the occasion time after time.

Jack-Hammer · May 3, 2011

WWE Monday Night Raw - May 2, 2011

Opening Segment - I'm gonna put in the National Anthem in on this. It was nice to see Lilian Garcia to sing the National Anthem. Given the constant press coverage of Osama bin Laden's death throughout the day, it didn't really surprise me that they had it sung last night, but it was still fun. I'm glad that they brought The Rock out to start the show off with. With him getting out there and kicking things off, the rest of the night won't be overshadowed by people waiting to see when he's gonna come out and what he was gonna do. As expected, The Rock was great on the mic and really had the crowd going. I'm usually not a fan or 20+ minute promo spots and this one ran close to 30. The reason I'm not usually a fan is because they're boring as shit and this one wasn't the least bit dull. It had tons of energy and there was a surprising amount of patriotism involved what with Rock leading the arena in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Anyone that expected this to be anything other than what it was, a great 20+ minute promo segment, really needs to be smacked. Fun opener. Thumbs Up

John Morrison & R-Truth - Good beatdown segment here. I like the idea of not getting JoMo vs. Truth this soon. It just gives more time to build up the feud. This feud has an intense, personal feel to it and I thought Truth did a great job last night with his facial expressions in particular. I have to admit that I'm quickly becoming a fan of R-Truth. He's been more interesting over the course of the past 3 weeks than he has during the past 3 years combined. Morrison did a good job of selling the aftermath of the beating and this is a feud that really seems to be benefiting both men at this point. Good build up for their first match and, ultimately, this particular feud could be what both men are looking for in terms of putting their characters on different levels. Thumbs Up

Kelly Kelly, Maryse & Kharma - The instant I saw Kelly Kelly come out, I knew that Kharma would come out. Both Kelly & Maryse are two insanely gorgeous blonde women and it just seemed right. Maybe 20 seconds into things, Kharma's music hits and she gets a good pop from the crowd. She comes walking out and I thought she looked pretty damn intimidating. Kelly Kelly did a very nice job of selling her fear of Kharma while she was huddled up over in the corner. She had that deer caught in the headlights look and it worked just fine. She didn't try to overdo it and it had a natural feel to it. Kharma gets into the ring and makes us wonder who she's going for first. She first goes to Maryse and grabs her as she tries to crawl out of the ring. Kharma then gives a great Implant Buster to Maryse. She teased going after Kelly Kelly and it was interesting because we still don't really know if she's a heel or face at this point, or if she's just out to destroy the Divas in general. The brief match was just a tool to set this up and Kharma got herself a strong debut on Raw. Thumbs Up

Rock Birthday Wishes - There were a lot of videos shown from a variety of celebrities wishing Rock a happy birthday. It was cool seeing messages from diverse celebs like Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, Lebron James, Dan Marino, Ludacris, Samuel L. Jackson and lots of others. Thumbs Up

Rock's Birthday Party Backstage - I had mixed feelings on this one. A lot of it was pretty corny with Khali & Hornswoggle there but, generally speaking, it was really no cornier than any of the comedy segments Rock participated in back in the Attitude Era. It was nice to see Ron Simmons out there do his "Damn!" catchphrase, which is still really over it seems. Not a bad segment really, just not all that great if you wanna see as little of Khali or Hornswoggle as possible. Thumbs In The Middle

John Cena vs. The Miz - Great match from these two and, generally speaking, it might be the best singles match we've seen from them. I enjoyed it more than their match at WM, which I thought was good also, because, like everyone else, waiting to see The Rock show himself overshadowed the match. This was a great back and forth match and it's laughable to hear people call this match dull. Some good storytelling going on from these two with both of them ultimately looking strong throughout. The ending generally comes around the 13 minute mark when Miz hits Cena with the belt and gets the 3 count. The ref turns away to go and get the belt while Miz & Riley celebrate. The ref sees the belt lying in the ring and assumes, correctly, that Miz used the belt to get the win. Even though he didn't see it, the ref reverses the decision and awards the match to Cena via DQ. Cena has recovered by this time and manages to take out both Riley & Miz. This was an interesting way to keep Miz in the title picture. After all, the ref didn't actually see Miz use the belt and that's supposed to be the basis for a DQ rather than suspecting using the belt as a weapon. Miz has a legit gripe and this could keep him in the title picture a while longer. ***1/4

Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre & Jack Swagger - I actually called the participants of this match after I saw Del Rio wasn't going to compete and that it'd feature SD! guys that got drafted to Raw. Solid formula tag match here and I thought Swagger & McIntyre made a pretty decent team. There were a few mistakes made here and there but, generally speaking, it was a fun high energy tv match. the end comes around the 8.5 minute mark with McIntyre getting hit by Trouble In Paradise before Rey hits him with the 619 and the splash from the top. Del Rio is out there on commentary and talkes negatively about Rey & tries to interfere in the match. At this point, it looks like we could see a rekindling of they Mysterio/Del Rio feud. **1/4

Rock's Birthday Party Backstage Part II - I knew they were gonna pull out Mae Young here, I just knew it. Say what you want to but Mae Young gets a great response whenever the WWE dusts her off and makes her part of something. The interesting bit was the brief confrontation between John Cena & The Rock. It was short, to the point and had a serious tone to it. Neither Cena or Rock cracked any jokes or delivered any catchphrases, just hyped their match a little. If Cena does indeed keep the WWE Championship for another 11 months, then the IWC is gonna bitch and moan like only the IWC can bitch and moan. Thumbs Up

Kane vs. Mason Ryan - Wasn't really much to the match Ryan was DQ'd about 90 seconds into it. The match & segment overall, however, did a good job of establishing Ryan as a physical powerhouse. Seeing him overpower Kane and take Big Show after Show comes out to save Kane from a Nexus beatdown was visually impressive. Ryan is still green and I'm not sure where they're going with this. As he's so green, this could be an instance where they start out giving the guy a strong push but stops once his flaws become so obvious that they can't be ignored. N/A

Closing Segment - The Rock's music hit and he comes back out to close the show. He thanks the fans & his family and generally puts over the night as being one of the best of his life. After a while, Vince McMahon's music hits and Vince comes strutting out on stage. Vince puts over The Rock and what he's meant to WWE, talking a little about a conversation he had with The Rock back in the day. They then show a really cool "This Is Your Life" type of video package for The Rock with a lot of rare footage and photos. Justin Roberts then introduces Maya as she comes out to sing Happy Birthday to The Rock. It was a cool closing segment what with the streamers and just the general energy surrounding the whole show. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - Last night was a different kind of Raw, as a few others have said. The theme of the night was generally celebrating Rock's birthday as well as a good showing of patriotism. The opening segment was very long but entertaining the whole way through. The beatdown of JoMo at the hands of R-Truth was well done and I like the intensity of this feud. It could be just what both men have been waiting for. Kharma's Raw debut was very memorable and I thought Kelly Kelly did an excellent job of selling her fear of Kharma while she was huddled in the corner. Like I said, she didn't try to do anything over the top. She just used her facial expressions and body language, and what a body it is, to sell believable fear. John Cena vs. The Miz was a great television match that kept both wrestlers looking strong and the finish gives Miz a legit gripe, for a heel that is, and keeps him in the title picture. Rey & Kofi vs. Swagger & McIntyre was a fun tv formula match that hinted a rekindling of the Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio feud. The backstage segments of Rock's birthday party backstage were pretty watchable, though there were some corny aspects. The closing segment of the show was really cool and the various celeb birthday wishes throughout the show was a nice touch. It would have been nice if there'd been some more wrestling on the show and I know fans that want nothing but wrestling probably hated last night's Raw. But, the WWE Championship match was great, the tag team match was solid and the night overall was fun. It was definitely a Rock love fest and I can see if that turns some people off because WWE really did lay it on pretty thick last night. But, on the other hand, at least they didn't do it half assed.

Grade: B+

Chess · May 3, 2011

I'm sorry but Raw was pretty shocking this week. We get the "Isn't America great". We killed Bin Laden crap. We get the Rock (who I like) performing way below his standards and not really adding anything funny or memorable to the show. We get one wrestling match - Cena Vs Miz that was actually pretty enjoyable however I didn't like the fact the result was reversed on an assumption by the ref, albiet the correct assumption. We get the majority of the Mysterio/Swagger tag match that takes place during the break and the rest was just beatdowns or squashes.

The real problem I see, that no one seems to have mentioned is that there is only 2 more Raw Episodes before another PPV. For me they wasted this week to continue to suck off the Rock and forgot about starting or progressing fueds going into Over the Limit. Having said that we all know we are likely to get the same matches we have seen for the last 2 PPV's, I for one cannot wait for another epic between Cole and King.

Raw 2/5 from me.

Morpheus101 · May 3, 2011

That was quite possibly the worst Raw, ever. Even The Rock was totally lame. A sore point was the fact that Raw was from Miami, which isn't my favorite place on earth (lived there for 18 months and almost killed myself!). The crowd were lame, 70% of them weren't even singing along to the national anthem or chanting "USA". Not that I really liked the fact that Bin Laden's assassination was brought into WWE television. It was all a little too weird. Add to that, that idiot Pitbull was on....a guy who is a 2 time DUI, former drug dealer. I'm all for WWE being less "PG", but bringing that idiot out just to please the idiots in Miami was in really bad taste....plus he's a no-talent jackass.

1/10 for Raw....AWFUL.

X · May 7, 2011

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 5/6/11
May 6th, 2011
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: ???

In the interest of full disclosure let me just start off this review by saying that I read the spoiler for this show already, and that one major thing that happened on this show really pissed me off as a fan. I'll address it when we get to it and try to be as objective as possible, but remember, just like you I am at the end of the day a fan. And fans are a fickle bunch, aren't we?

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

We open the show with a great video package highlighting Christian's quest for the World title and his win at Extreme Rules. As the show officially kicks off Christian comes out to a huge pop. There are tons of Christian signs in the crowd. Before Christian can even begin to speak on the mic he's interrupted by the a chant for his name. Finally he says that the crowd will have to bear with him as he's waited 17 long years to be able to raise the World title above his head proudly. He talks about how all of his life-long dreams pale in comparison to the feeling of actually standing before the crowd as the new World Heavyweight Champion. He says he got a text from Edge right before he came out here that said "Enjoy this night because you earned it" and Christian is visibly getting emotional here as his voice trembles slightly. He says without Edge and his peeps he wouldn't have made it this far. Before he can get much further though, Mark Henry comes out to interrupt him and asks Christian for a title shot. Christian cracks a funny joke on Henry and suddenly the Great Khali's music hits and he comes out to the ring and throws his hat into the ring for a title shot. Ranjin Singh claims that the Great Khali has wrestled white Bengal tigers into submission, I shit you not. What a batshit crazy thing to say. Of course as soon as Khali is done challenging Christian, out comes Randy Orton to a monster pop. Orton looks incredibly strange with the lame neckbeard he's got growing on his face. Orton of course wants to throw his name into the hat as well for a title shot, so finally Teddy Long comes out and decides the fans will choose who Christian's opponent is tonight. They chant and cheer for Randy obviously, so it's Christian vs. Orton for the World title tonight in our main event.

Backstage the Great Khali and Ranjin Singh run into Jinder Mahal. Jinder criticizes Singh for having Khali dress up in a pink tutu on Raw.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Oh hell yes, this is the way to start the show. I'm overjoyed that Bryan was drafted to Smackdown as he was totally lost in the shuffle on RAW and being on the "wrestling" brand can only help him. Cole is still all over Bryan's case. Sheamus overpowers Bryan early with his raw strength but it's not long before Bryan begins utilizing his speed to avoid Sheamus. Bryan dropkicks Sheamus out of the ring and then flies out after him with the tope suicida. Back inside Sheamus hits a huge backbreaker as we cut to commercial. When we return Bryan is fighting out of a headlock, but ends up getting hit with another high angle backbreaker. Sheamus pounds away at Bryan on the ropes and then knees him right in the face on the apron. Bryan's selling here is excellent as Sheamus gets a two count back inside the ring. Bryan manages to block a superplex attempt and nails Sheamus with the missile dropkick to pop the crowd. Bryan utilizes his lethal kicks to chop Sheamus down to size so to speak and a final shot to the temple gets Bryan a near fall. Bryan gets taken inside-out by a clothesline from Sheamus who then attempts the Celtic Cross, but Bryan counters out of it and sends Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus goes for a slingshot shoulderblock, but Bryan grabs his arm in mid-air and locks him into the LeBell lock! Sheamus eventually is able to get the rope break though. Bryan goes to try another tope suicida, but this time Sheamus sees it coming and nails him with the Brogue Kick right as he attempts the move (psychology!). Back in the ring Sheamus gives Bryan another Brogue Kick for good measure and gets the pinfall victory at 5:38 (shown). Reasonably, this match shouldn't be as good as it was with only 5 and a half minutes of TV time. But my GOD did they pack a lot into that five minutes. There was the psychology of Sheamus taking the tope early in the match and then being able to see it coming towards the end, Bryan's selling was great during the extended beatdown sequence in the beginning of the match, and all of it wrapped up in your basic power vs. speed formula. About as good of a five minute TV match you'll ever see. ***¼

Cody Rhodes comes out to the ring next and accuses Rey Mysterio of adding insult to injury at Extreme Rules by searing his eyes with the mist. He claims that he's exposed Mysterio as the gutless coward he is. He says that he once again can see through everyone here tonight and that they're all ugly. Cue Rhodes paper bag assistants to hand out paper bag masks to the front row. Everytime I see this I'm reminded of Ugly Bob from the South Park season two premiere. Rhodes takes off, having garnered some nice heat as usual. Looks like the Rey feud is over.

We go over highlights of the tag team title match that the Big Show and Kane had with Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson at Extreme Rules before Big Show makes his entrance to the ring to face Big Zeke in singles action. Zeke comes with the Corre, so naturally Kane comes out next to back-up his partner as we cut to commercial break.

Big Show vs. Ezekiel Jackson

We return from commercial by joining this match already in progress. Show mixes things up early with a nice takedown and front face lock on Jackson but Zeke counters out by giving Show a back body drop in an excellent display of strength. Jackson hammers Show in the corner and then gives him a big body slam, but Show kicks out at two. Both men begin trading punches and Show shoots Zeke into the corner, ramming him with the almighty power of ass. Show signals for the chokeslam but The Corre attack Kane on the outside so he goes out to make the save. Show wipes out The Corre outside the ring but eats a boot to the face on his way back into the ring and Jackson gives him a lariat for the win at 3:34 (shown). This was actually far better than you'd think it would be, as Show actually looked motivated for once and Ezekiel played off the power vs. power dynamic very well. Not bad at all for the time it was given, and it gives Zeke a rub by beating the giant. **

After the commercial break we recap the Rock's birthday celebration on RAW this week. Great video package of the show's highlights.

Layla vs. Alicia Fox

Layla beat her longtime BFF Michelle McCool in a Loser Leaves WWE match this past Sunday, and since then has been trying to convince the divas backstage that she's changed. Crowd still boos her out of habit because of the music, but there are atleast a few cheers. To put over Layla's face turn Cole goes all heel on her, questioning her actions as Layla lays some kicks into Fox and nails her with a neckbreaker for the quick victory at 0:52. After the match Kharma (Awesome Kong) comes out to wreak havoc once again, so Layla splits. Fox nails her with a kick from behind but Kong no-sells it and lays her out with a lariat and the implant buster. Apparently Fox is so inept in the ring that she separated her shoulder trying to take the bump for the lariat, so don't expect to see her anytime soon, not that it matters. The match itself was just a squash for Layla, but it wasn't offensively bad or anything, so it atleast gets ¼*

Backstage Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, and Justin Gabriel confront Ezekiel Jackson about possibly splitting ways, but Jackson beats him to the punch (literally) and attacks Barrett! The Corre take the upper hand though and beat Zeke down, slamming what appears to be a huge dish rack onto him as they leave and we cut to commercial. Looks like Zeke might be in store for a big push down the road.

When we return from commercial Chavo Guerrero has joined Booker and Josh at the commentary table for the next match with Sin Cara, which is a nice move reminiscent of when WCW used to bring in Mike Tenay when they had the luchadores on Nitro.

Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd

Looks like they ditched Primo for Tyson Kidd to put over Cara's offense here and on house shows. We've got the same blue and gold lighting deal as last week, which is actually kind of annoying honestly. Cara misses a springboard back elbow but nails Kidd with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. The action spills out to the floor where Cara delivers a hurricanrana on Kidd on the floor. Cara tries rolling him back into the ring but Kidd nails him with a dropkick and he crumples to the floor. Kidd follows it with a snap suplex on floor before tossing Cara back into the ring. A big "Sin Cara" chant starts up as Kidd gets a near fall. Cara responds with a flurry of kicks and a handspring back elbow. Cara flies off the top rope with a cross body block for two. Both men jockey for position on the top rope until Cara delivers the C4 suplex to Kidd off the top rope for the win at 2:48. Very energetic squash for Cara, give these guys ten minutes and you could have a great match. **

After the match Chavo Guerrero goes to the ring and shakes Sin Cara's hand in an intense staredown. So it looks like they're going to have Cara feud with Guerrero, and that's really a great choice for his first feud. Chavo knows both the classic lucha style and the current WWE style of wrestling, and he can help guide the younger Cara/Mistico to some great matches down the line I'm sure.

Backstage Todd Grisham asks Teddy Long if it's fair for Christian to have to defend his title so quickly, and Long says he's doing it for the fans.

World Heavyweight Title Match
Christian © vs. Randy Orton

Although I already know the outcome to this match before-hand, I'm hoping I can still enjoy the contest itself. We get the big match intros and everything, so the atmosphere is great here to start out. Orton takes the upper hand early with his power but Christian sends him to the floor and then nails him with a dropkick. He tries a slingshot splash to the floor but Orton moves and we take a commercial break. When we return Orton is working away at Christian's midsection with stomps. This is downright strange honestly as Orton is working this match as a heel would beating down Christian mercilessly, but the crowd loves him so they're not booing and thus it seems like they don't care, even though they clearly d

rton works back bearhug on him and the crowd begins to rally behind Christian, who breaks the hold. Randy gives him a Cactus clothesline to the floor though as we yet again cut to commercial even though we just did that two minutes ago. When we return Christian has Orton in a headlock. Orton hits a big back suplex on Christian and both men are down. Orton nails him with a dropkick and a series of clotheslines, but Christian counters being shot into the corner by nailing Orton with his boot. Missile dropkick off the top gets a two for Christian. Orton fights off a reverse DDT but gets hung up on the top rope. Christian hits a big cross-body block off the top and the crowd totally buys into the near fall. Christian hits a big back elbow off the top rope but Orton counters with a snap powerslam for two. Christian tries for the Killswitch but Orton evades and plants him with the second-rope DDT for another hot near fall. This crowd is going crazy for this match right now. Orton tries for the Angle slam but Christian counters with a reverse DDT for yet another incredibly hot near fall. Orton tries and succeeds in delivering a second Angle slam and looks to set up for the RKO but Christian has it scouted and shoots him off the ropes, trying for the Killswitch again. Orton escapes that though and Christian leaps off the second rope only to have Randy give him an RKO in mid-air for the pin and the title at 10:06 (shown). As a title match, this was fantastic stuff. Both men were hugely over and the crowd was hot for everything they did, both guys worked hard, and the finishing stretch was simply outstanding. Aside from some annoying clipping, this was a great main event match. ***½

After the match Orton celebrates and leaves, leaving a crushed Christian behind in the ring. He gets his fair share of cheers to end the show as he lingers around the ring, staring at the center of the mat where he was just pinned. We close out the show with Christian walking to the back, dejected. I could go on a lengthy rant here about how Christian was never even given a chance to show his worth as a champion, but I've already done that in several places and I'm sick of repeating it. If there's one thing to take out of tonight's show though, it's that Christian is still a world class talent as he showed several times throughout the night. He finally got his due, and while I would have liked for it to have lasted longer, he'll always have that moment at Extreme Rules with his title win. I say keep your chin up fellow peeps, because Christian probably won't be leaving the Smackdown main event scene anytime soon.

Bottom Line: Whether you agree with the decision to have Christian drop the belt so soon or not, tonight's show was extremely entertaining. Sheamus and Daniel Bryan kicked things off with an excellent TV opener, Sin Cara looks to potentially have his first program on the horizon with Chavo Guerrero, and the main event was excellent. All in all, a great episode of Smackdown and an easy Thumbs Up.

Score: 8.5/10

REMEMBER! You can find ALL of my reviews and match ratings at my blog:
X's Wrestling Review

Jack-Hammer · May 7, 2011

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! - May 6, 2011

Opening Segment - I thought this was a really good opener overall. Christian's selling of his emotions as winning the WHC and how much the title means to him has worked extremely well in my opinion. People are genuinely glad to see Christian as champ and he's done a helluva job putting over the title in and of itself. Mark Henry came out and, believe it or not, I kind of like the cocky swagger he seems to have now. At least they didn't go back to him as the glowering one dimensional monster. The Great Khali coming out did nothing for me at all. He's made more appearances on WWE television the past several weeks than he has in the past 6 months and that's not a good sign. Khali wants a title match as does Henry. Randy Orton's music hits and out comes The Viper to throw his name in the hat. Teddy Long comes out and asks the fans who they wanna see face Christian and, of course, Orton overwhelmingly wins. Teddy makes the match the main event and it was just a fun segment overall even with Khali out there. Thumbs Up

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - This is the best match we've seen out of either one of these guys in months. Both men worked hard and have great chemistry together. Some great back and forth action happened and it's generally just a great mesh of styles whenever these two get into the ring. It was also one of these matches, at least to me, where it kinda feels like a shame that somebody has to lose. The crowd was hot for the match and both of them got in a lot of offense. Sheamus catching Bryan with a modified Brogue Kick as he's about to dive through the ropes onto Sheamus outside looked nice and it set Bryan up to take a full Brogue Kick a few seconds later. Sheamus picks up the win a little before the 10 minute mark. Sheamus got a big win but Bryan didn't look bad here at all. Very good effort all around. ***1/4

Cody Rhodes - I thought this was another solid heel promo segment from Cody. I like the general mood that's established by keeping the lights low and Cody's manipulation of his voice. He "sounds" like somebody that's disturbed and it comes across well. Cody has his assistants hand out more paper bags while insulting the crowd and Rey Mysterio in general. Nothing overly fantastic about the segment, just good solid stuff to keep Cody in people's minds. Thumbs Up

The Big Show vs. Ezekiel Jackson - I have to admit that this match was much better than I thought it would be. It was short at only about 3.5 minutes or so, but there was a lot of energy and a few impressive spots here. There was mostly some basic stuff going on, but when you see someone the size of Show getting hit with a back drop, body slammed and taken off his feet as easily and frequently as a normal sized person, it just looks damn impressive and the crowd seemed to agree. I think a big thing about the match was that it was just generally refreshing to see Show in a match where he didn't just toss the guy around all over the place as if he's nothing more than a minor annoyance that he can eliminate at will. The power vs. power dynamic played off well here. Show gets the upper hand but heads out of the ring for a bit and beats up the other members of The Corre. I was looking for a DQ here but since no member of The Corre actually hit Show, it didn't come and he didn't get counted out. Zeke hits Show with a big running clothesline after he gets back inside and scores the win. Overall, this was actually kind of fun and quite good for the time it was given. A lot of the offense was basic but, as I said, it's refreshing to see Show in a match where he doesn't physically run roughshod over the guy. **1/4

Layla vs. Alicia Fox - Not really much to say here. The match lasted about a minute before Layla hit Alicia with her neckbreaker finisher for the win. Kharma's music hit and she comes out on the stage. Kharma gets another good reaction from the crowd and I thought Layla did a good job of selling her concern over Kharma's appearance. She didn't try to copy what Kelly Kelly did on Raw and I thought that was the way to go. I also like that Alicia Fox didn't pull the same fear routine and actually tried to attack. After all, this act will get old really fast if they book all the Divas as being so afraid of Kharma that they can hardly move. Kharma no sells a kick before catching Alicia's leg. She hits her with a clothesline and Alicia hits the mat hard on her shoulder. Kharma picks her up and delivers the Implant Buster, or whatever she winds up calling it in WWE, does her laughing/serious bit before leaving. The match was too short to be rated anything as it was really just a prelude to Kharma coming out and laying waste to someone. N/A

The Corre & Ezekiel Jackson - Backstage, Zeke is relaxing in a chair while taking off some of his gear. He's confronted by the other members of The Corre before they all get into it. Eventually, Zeke gets beaten down and left laying by The Corre. Looks like a singles push might be in store for Zeke. Nothing overly special here but it's good to see that they stopped dragging out the tension between the members and just had them pull the trigger on Zeke's possible face turn. Thumbs Up

Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd - The match was only about 3 minutes but they packed a ton of action into it. As of right now, that seems to be what WWE is doing with Sin Cara: putting him in short matches that packs a lot of action into the time allowed. While short, the match was fun and energetic. It was one of those matches featuring a couple of guys that you'd love to see get 10 or 15 minutes in the ring together at some point. Sin Cara eventually gets the win after hitting the C4 off the top. Chavo is out there doing commentary during the match, sometimes saying things along the lines of Sin Cara "stealing" moves that his family created and all this. He comes into the ring and shakes Cara's hand after the match. I guess we're going to be getting a feud with these two in the near future. **1/4

Christian vs. Randy Orton - This was a fantastic main event and easily one of the best matches that's been aired on any wrestling tv program this year so far. Both of these guys are hugely over with the audience and they were hanging on everything they did. It was also one of the better matches I've seen Orton work in a long time. The match was back and forth throughout most of it with both men getting in a lot of offense. Again, this is one of those matches where it feels like a shame that somebody's got to lose. Both of them hit some fun counters as well as most of their signature spots with some great near falls. The end comes when Christian is going for one of his classic spots, a sunset flip off the second rope after landing a kick to Orton's stomach. Christian leaps only for Orton to catch him in mid air with an RKO. The timing of the move was just plain sweet and allows Orton to get the win at the 17 minute mark to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Christian sells his disappointment to the crowd in the ring but gets a good round of applause as he leaves the ring and begins a slow walk up the ramp. Helluva match that would've been all the better if only it'd been live. ***3/4

Overall Show - For me, SmackDown! was running on all cylinders last night. I was entertained from top to bottom. For a while, the general formula for SD! has been to combine a couple of good promo segments with good wrestling content and that's exactly what happened last night. The opening promo did it's job well of setting up the night's main event as well as Christian putting the importance of being WHC and how much it means to him. Cody Rhodes gave another solid, darkly themed promo segment and I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes from here. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan was a great back & forth opener and the best we've seen both these men look in a couple months. I was surprised to see that Big Zeke vs. Big Show delivered a damn decent match. Kharma continues to be the most interesting thing to happen to women's wrestling in the WWE in a VERY long time. She lays out another heel Diva though I expect her to take out a face before too long to give people the idea that she's just out to take out the Divas in general. Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd was fun with a lot of energy going on and it'd be really nice to see them go at it again in a much longer match at some point. Whether you agree with Christian losing the title or not, the main event last night was fantastic. Very much a ppv caliber match in my view and possibly the best match I've seen on television in 2011. Throughout the night, the commentators did a great job of hyping the main event as well as comparing Orton to Christian. Looking back over the course of the night and how events ultimately unfolded, I think Christian's loss to Orton last night could be the beginning of a very interesting angle. Great show last night.

Grade: A-

Wade's Public Transit Bomb · May 7, 2011

I thought it was an okay show for the most part.

- The opening segment was obvious. Not because you could read the spoilers, but to have a crowd response choose your match and Orton is in it? Obvious. I guess I don't like Christian promos because I thought it was really just a bunch of pandering being the scary lookin' dudes came out.

- I know others are big on the Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan match but I thought it was average. Sheamus did the same shoulder block thing three times and it got countered twice. It was only a five minute match to boot. I thought Sheamus was either more intelligent than that or had much more offense.

- Cody Rhodes was the same promo as any other promo he has had since getting his mask. Any guesses on where this is going?

- Zeke vs Show seemed really forced to me. Show is a very good bumper for his size and all, but Zeke just looks like a drunk gorilla when he tries to do something to me.

- Layla is so cute and much more tolerable without McCool. The fans actually reacted to the music that has killed more crowds than cancelled shows. The match was what it was and I am over Kharma tbh.

- I dug Wade, Slater and Gabe kicking Zeke out. Wade sure does love to chair fuck people. But all I could think of afterwards was this:

[youtube]unhzLjeHT9o[/youtube]

- Sin Cara vs Tyson Kidd proved why Kidd won't be axed anytime soon.

- Orton vs Christian would've put me to sleep if it wasn't 6:35 when the match started.

MisterRob · May 8, 2011

I thought SmackDown this week was great. From start to finish I enjoyed the entire show and to me SmackDown seems much more entertaining on a consistent basis then RAW does. Personal opinion of course, but I'm enjoying what's happening.

I loved seeing Christian as the World Heavyweight champion. His promo at the start of the show was great, and you could tell he was soaking up that moment, something he really deserved. While I would've liked to have seen Christian given a serious chance as champion, because I really do think he deserves a better run and has what it takes to be a main event star, the angle setting up the main event title match was well done and the main event itself was phenomenal. I really think the main event proved that Christian did deserve that spot and can be a main event star, even if Vince McMahon and others are too blind to see that. The reactions during the main event were unbelievable, the crowd was into it, and I haven't enjoyed a championship match like that in a long time. So thanks, Christian.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan was another good match and both of these guys bring a very fresh feeling to SmackDown. This was a showcase of two guys that are definitely the future of the WWE, and I'm looking forward to seeing where both go now that they're on a new brand and might have more chance to shine then they even did on RAW.

Cody Rhodes gave another great promo, and his character continues to develop really well. I wasn't really too keen on the voice he cut the promo in, but all in all I think Rhodes is one of the more interesting characters in the entire company right now and creatives doing a great job with him. I would like to see them do the same with Ted Dibiase, hopefully.

The Big Show vs. Ezekial Jackson was a pleasant surprise, and I actually enjoyed it much more then I would've expected. It was great seeing the Big Show actually be challenged in the ring and especially lose to Jackson, and I think it really put over Jackson in an effective way.

Once again I think SmackDown's creative team has done a really good job developing the Corre and making me interested in the group. I was actually interested in the backstage segment that followed, the Corre attacking Ezekial, and Jackson's seeming face turn. I'm looking forward to seeing Jackson's push now and his feud with the Corre, and I really hope that Skip Sheffield returns to join the Corre and replace Jackson in his role. Sheffield would be a perfect fit as he's one of the original, core members of the Nexus, and has history with the other three members. Not to mention I would love to see Sheffield feud with Jackson, and I think its the perfect set up for all of that to happen. Well done!

Sin Cara definitely fits better on Smackdown. He had a fun match with Tyson Kidd, and surprisingly I actually got excited about a feud between Sin Cara and Chavo Guerrero. That's surprising to me because its Chavo Guerrero. I would really love to see SmackDown bring in the Cruiserweight title and build a division around guys like the three in this segment Chavo, Sin Cara, and Kidd.

Overall, as I said, I thought this was a great show. SmackDown really feels fresh and different, and I'm really excited about the possibilities and the current storylines and feuds being developed. I'm far more interested and entertained by SmackDown then I am RAW and I hope that continues.

Rating - A

TyDurd25 · May 9, 2011

For me tonight Raw's writers crossed the line. I was a bit taken aback at the Taco Bell comment from the Miz to ADR and Rey Mysterio, but then when R-Troof called John Cena a Lilly White boy I was enraged. If the Miz as a super heel had called R-Troof a Coal Black boy the entire world would be in an uproar. Heel or not Racial remarks are not needed to put someone over as a heel.

swamprat37 · May 9, 2011

I wasn't really impressed with Raw tonight at all. R-Truth's horrible promo during his segment was the start to an average Raw. Sorry to all of his fans, but i just don't see it, I think he's a waste of space, and I have yet to be impressed by him in any regard so far. The rest in the ring were all decent even Rey was good with his mocking of R-Truth.

We saw Mason Ryan who just last week destroyed Kane and Big Show by himself, looking like WWE's newest monster, only to be buried this week along with all of Nexus.

Another dud of a diva's match. Only real benefit was seeing Kharma again.

Sigh....more Cole vs Lawler , hopefully this one is the end of it all.
Swagger needs to move as far from it as he can, he looked good as usual in his match.

I am getting more impressed with Ziggler each time I see him, I think he has more gold in his future.
Alex Riley needs to be on his own, he's got some talent himself, and The Miz's character; as much as I hate to say it, is more than strong enough to go solo.
Was hoping ADR would win, as it would be a new feud for the gold and not the same one we've had for a while now. But ADR's time will come.

I'll give Raw tonight a 5/10

The_Reptile_ · May 9, 2011

Tonight's. RAW. Was. Flat.

Nothing clicked. None of the promos were gripping. And it felt like nothing really happened.

Oh stuff did happen. If you look at a recap you'll see that stuff happened. But watching it, it didn't feel like anything happened.

DarthSaeris · May 9, 2011

I have to agree with all of you guys. What a lame ass piece of television. It was all the same matches and the one that were new were too short to be any good. I almost wish R Truth would just go away, especially with all the racial stuff. Check out my review: RAW REVIEW

I don't know what has to happen for RAW to get better. If they could have a great match with no interference or bull crap like Smackdown did with Orton and Christian maybe it could get better.

Jack-Hammer · May 10, 2011

WWE Monday Night Raw - May 9, 2011

Opening Segment - I thought the opening of Raw tonight was a blast. I never thought I'd say this, but R-Truth carried that segment. Truth, to some degree, reminded me of Scott Steiner on the mic. He put a lot of feeling into what he was saying and his facial expressions are great. Again, I never thought I'd say this but I'm becoming a fan of R-Truth. Del Rio & Miz did well on the mic as well and it's a refreshing change to see two top tier heels get in each other's faces. Both Del Rio & Miz are extremely over right now so it worked just fine. Rey wasn't much until he started mocking Truth, that's when he actually kicked a little bit of attitude into his portion on the mic. As far as Truth's racial comments, I've got no complaints about them. People complain that they want to see more edge or controversial things going on in WWE, well there it is. Calling Del Rio a Mexican fence jumper, for instance, is something that's legitimately controversial rather than just tired bullshit cliches masquerading as controversial topics. The Raw GM sets a triple threat main event match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship but leaves R-Truth out. Should be a fun match and I'm really beginning to dig where they're going with Truth. Thumbs Up

Kelly Kelly & Eve Torres vs. The Bella Twins - Short, painless match that was pretty decent. Well, as decent as a 90 second match can be. Some decent energy out and about and the crowd was hot for Kelly Kelly. Kelly gets the win with a small package on one of the Bellas before Kharma's music hits. The Bellas cowered down behind the ring while Kharma gets in. Kelly Kelly exits the ring and runs off after the Bellas do the same. I like that they didn't try and do a repeat of last week with Kelly. I know the idea is for most of the Divas to be afraid of her so it's good to not milk the terror too much. Kharma obliterates Eve and it's another good showing for Kharma. 1/4*

Kane vs. Mason Ryan - Another short match but a decent power match while it lasted. Even though it lasted only 2.5 minutes, this worked fine for what it was. Mason Ryan is green but he looked pretty good here I thought. Nothing overly spectacular about the match but I think Ryan & Kane could give a good, solid match if they were given any real time. Nexus interfered and looked like chumps again. I assume Kane wins by DQ. Kane & Show get the better of Nexus this week as they double chokeslam Ryan. 3/4*

Dolph Ziggler vs. Santino Marella - This was pretty much a squash match though Ziggler did look good. I have a feeling that the WWE is going to work Ziggler up through the mid-card ranks and eventually have him challenge for the United States Championship. Ziggler gets the win after hitting the Zig Zag. N/A

John Cena vs. Alex Riley - I've seen this match take place about a dozen times already and I've no desire to see it again. This match went the predictable route of Riley getting in some offense before Cena really began to dominate him. Cena gets the win with the STF after hitting two Attitude Adjustments. *

SmackDown! vignette - It's unusual to see a major happening on SD! get attention on Raw. The video presentation was great and I think it further emphasizes that last Friday wasn't the end of Christian in the WHC picture. While we don't know what's ultimately going to happen, it could potentially wind up being a very interesting storyline. Thumbs Up

Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler - I've generally been a fan of this feud but this is really starting to get old now. They spent several months building it up for WM but didn't give fans the ending they wanted and did the same thing at Extreme Rules. Cole & Lawler are entertaining but this feud has really been going on for close to 6 months now and it's really time to put an end to it. Since there's going to be one more match, at least they're still keeping it "personal" with Cole mentioning Lawler's dead mother before Lawler heads out and tries to get into the Cole Mine. Swagger comes up from behind and attacks Lawler. I thought it was entertaining enough but it's time to end this. Thumbs In The Middle

Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger - Solid United States Championship match between these two. Swagger & Kofi work well together in my opinion and have a good mesh of styles going on. The match had some good back & forth action. Both wrestlers got in some good offense and I thought there was some good energy throughout. Swagger eventually starts to work on Kofi's ankle & knee before Jerry Lawler starts walking back down the ramp. Swagger takes his concentration off Kofi for a few seconds, allowing Kofi to hit Trouble In Paradise for the pin at the 8.5 minute mark. Lawler comes back over to Cole and manages to grab his tie through one of the holes in the Cole Mine and repeatedly pulls on it, causing Cole to bash into the side over and over again. Swagger recovers, helps Cole out and accepts Lawler's challenge in Cole's name. **3/4

Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio - This was an excellent television main event. I like triple threat matches in WWE because they're usually given a good amount of time and all 3 of the competitors are given a chance to shine. I really dug the action in the match and Mysterio's high energy offense added to the match. Some good wrestling from Del Rio & The Miz and it was fun to see them in the ring against one another. There were a couple of minor botches here and there with Mysteiro but nothing to get worked up about. Mysterio hits the 619 on Del Rio before hitting the splash off the top. Alex Riley pulls Del Rio into the ropes, breaking the ref's count before he hit 3. Miz runs un and rolls up Mysterio in a Schoolboy for the win about the 14 minute mark. The Miz is now the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. As Miz & Riley are standing on the stage, Cena's music hits and he comes out. He gets to name the stipulation for the match at Over The Limit. Cena tells Miz that it's an I Quit match before he heads back. Mysterio is still in the ring and gets jumped by R-Truth and left laying as the show went off the air. ***1/4

Overall Show - I thought Raw was pretty decent overall tonight though there were a couple of low spots in the show. I liked the opening segment a lot and thought Truth did an excellent job. Truth went a little racial in his promo and I'm sure people will be complaining about it. Doesn't seem to be a big problem whenever TNA does it for some reason. Kharma had another good showing for herself tonight and continues to look dominant. I thought Kane vs. Mason Ryan was halfway decent for what it was. I expected it to be a slow, clodding match but it didn't feel that way to me at all. I think it's a mistake, however, if WWE intends on a big push for Ryan soon because he's just not ready. Ziggler vs. Santino was nothing more than a squash. Cena vs. Riley was a glorified squash that I've seen time and time again. This one followed the exact same formula as all their previous matches did. I'm getting tired of the Cole & Lawler feud but I'm willing to give them one more match to finally nip this thing in the bud. I thought Kofi vs. Swagger for the United States Championship was a fun, solid match. It gave Kofi a needed win and the match did ultimately set up something of a return match for the title, which'll possibly take place at the ppv. The triple threat main event was a great, competitive tv main event. Just some great general chemistry all around and it was fun to see Miz & Del Rio wrestle. Give them 15 minutes and I bet they'd have a helluva match. Cole & Lawler is getting repetitive and it's a shame to see Nexus reduced to nothing more than what it is now. I'm not sure on Cena vs. Miz in an I Quit Match. The WWE has built Cena up over the years to being a guy that doesn't submit, so they'll have to really come up with something dramatic at Over The Limit and over the next little bit before the ppv to sell interest in the match.

Grade: B-

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