Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[HBKStreakbuster]

I thought it was just ok. I need to see much more of R Truth and less of The Miz. John Cena is actually pretty entertaining. Michael Cole is horrible. They need to give Zack Ryder and R Truth more TV time, period..The Miz reminds me of Spencer Pratt...just get off my tv screen!! I'd like to see R Truth interact with he fans every week...and possibly have Ryder get attacked by a credible heel like members of Nexus or Swagger and then begin a fued. They can degrade his Internet Belt or something. But all I know is R Truth is pure gold. Now he just needs a finishing move. Nobody gets a reaction from the fans like that guy right now...when he started to spell conspiricary it was classic...C-O-N...umm

 

[blueskyy]

Date: 30th May 2011
Rating: 6/10

This week RAW was okay at best. I'd very briefly just highlight those moments that were good, and those that weren't.

The opening was good, refreshing to say the least. But (yes, here comes the "but")... parts of it were just terrible. First on the list of bad performances was the two Tough Enough finalists, particularly the bigger guy (Big Andy, I believe). He didn't know how to response when Vince asked him a very simple question. Dead air in a live show is always a turn off for me. As for the other guy, who looks and sounds obnoxious, he said something generic along this line of: "Love me, hate me, I don't care. But you will remember me!" The second person who spoiled the opening was R-Truth. He started very well, but when it came to the conversation, it's again dead air and talking gibberish.

Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk match was good (as usual), but wasn't as good as last week's.

Zack Ryder vs Kofi Kingston mach was so-so. Can't expect much from Ryder. His only move, "picture perfect", kick to the face was devastating though.

The Alberto Del Rio promo was very entertaining to me. There isn't anything I can find fault with in this one.

Booker-T vs Jack Swagger match was average. Swagger challenged Booker-T to a match, but chickened out during the match. Evan Bourne came out and make a fool of Swagger. Fun to watch, but not much actual "wrestling".

Finally, the main event of the night -- a tag team match: John Cena and Alex Riley against The Miz and R-Truth. Again, the match was fun to watch, but not much actual "wrestling" in it. Everybody seems to be picking on Michael Cole lately. Oh, poor Cole.... (not really, I was being sarcastic).

So, all in all, it's a night of all drama. Very messy, chaotic and rowdy. Some people like it, some don't. I prefer a litter bit of "order". I give it a 6/10.

 

[t619]

I would love to See a proper Ziggler v Cena feud. The Chemistry they had in the ring earlier this year was just awesome. Plus add vicki into the mix we can get some great promos.

 

[JGlass]

So I stole this idea from Rayne, but this is a time based breakdown of my Smackdown viewing experience. It's a mixture of insight, recap, and opinions. Feel free to critique it, engage in debate, or post a journal of your own. Anyway, here's mine.

JGlass's 6/10 Smackdown Journal

8:02- I get here a little late because that damn family of mine wants to spend some time with me. I slap my grandma in the face and say, “Fuck that bitch, it’s time for Smackdown!” Christian is busy telling the fans that he’s done with them, and doing a damn good job on the mic.

8:05- Christian doesn’t want to talk to the fans anymore, but does want to talk to… Michael Cole? Nobody wants to talk to Michael Cole! Getting the support of Michael Cole is a good way to get some more heel heat, but from the sound of things Christian doesn’t want it.

This is reminiscent of Bret Hart turning heel after his Wrestlemania 13 match with Austin. He was pissed about how the fans could root for a guy like Austin, and Christian is pissed about how his peeps could root for a guy like Orton over him.

8:09- Christian asks Michael Cole to ask the fans if they think he deserves to be the World Heavyweight Champion, so Michael Cole says, “Christian would like to know if you people think he deserves to be World Heavyweight Champion.” They respond to nothing but boos. Christian calls them clueless. I’m on the same boat as you, Captain.

8:11- What the fuck is this Facebook crawl shit? They want us to go talk about what just happened on Facebook? Screw that, I’ll talk about it on WrestleZone Forums, thank you very much.

8:15- Wade Barrett and The Corre come out together after Wade left Gabriel and Slater high and dry with Big Zeke last week. Will the soap opera that was The Corre soon come to an end? Who knows?

Big Zeke comes out with two guys… wait… are those… THE USOS??? They’re alive! And they’re faces now apparently. Looks like we’re going to have a three on three tag match.

8:19- One of the Usos (whichever one is in the ring right now) is wrestling a great match, and he stops to take a little dance break before kicking Gabriel in the gut. Cole and Josh seem to be totally uninterested, as they’ve bickered about Christian for the entirety of the match.

8:26- We get back from commercials to Barrett beating up what Josh calls “One of the Usos.” Apparently he can’t tell them apart either.

8:28- Zeke gets the hot tag and goes straight after Barrett, who quickly tags in Justin Gabirel. Wade starts to walk away from the ring, but Slater goes to stop him. Barrett keeps walking, so Slater gives up. Slater eats a double super kick from the Usos, and Gabriel gets the body slam/torture rack combo, giving Team Zeke the win in what was a VERY solid 6-man tag match.

8:30- Teddy Long is… betting on horses? Sheamus wants a match with Christian, but Teddy says no. Sheamus is so good, worthy of being the top heel if not for Christian. Teddy Long gives Sheamus a match… with Randy Orton.

8:35- Gabriel and Slater are yelling at Barrett together, and they just quit the Corre. Now we get something only slightly better than The Corre, and that is Trent Baretta. Jinder Mahal will be his opponent, and this will be the first time I see him wrestle. I’m very excited.

8:38- Well Baretta fans, you have a friend in Booker T who says that Baretta has all the talent in the world to become a major superstar. It won’t save him tonight though, as Jinder Mahal nabs the win with the Full Nelson Slam in a quick match. Charles Robbinson pretty loudly yells at Khali, “You’re not even in the match!” The match is over bro, Khali can do whatever he wants.

8:40- AJ gets a backstage interview, but she gets interrupted by Rosa Mendes and Tamina, but she gets back up in the form of the beautiful Natalya. AJ needs to wear less makeup. She looks like a circus clown.

8:47- We have the divas out, Tamina with Rosa vs. AJ with Natalya. AJ has some moves, but they aren’t very fluid. Oh wait, she just used a shining wizard, she’s won my heart. AJ wins by countering the Samoan drop with a rollup. Apparently Natalya is a hugger. I wouldn’t stop her at hugging.

8:50- How racist are Popeyes commercials? Jesus.

8:55- Looks like it’s time for Orton vs. Sheamus. Orton comes out to a massive pop as usual, and the young ladies are particularly vocal about their love for Randall.

NO! He’s going to talk, don’t let him talk!

Orton calls Christian out, but Christian addresses Randall via Titantron. Looks like he’s doing it in front of Orton’s special bus that CM Punk famously didn’t destroy.

8:59- Christian is KILLING it right now. He’s so good at heel mic work. I was wrong though, looks like Orton vs. Sheamus will be saved for later, as it should be. Don’t count on Christian interference either, because he drove away after getting Orton to grant him a match at Capitol Punishment.

9:00- Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase are backstage together. Cody is so dark, it’s fantastic. He demands to take the lead in their tag team match. Ted tells Cody that he’s nuts, and Cody responds by forcing one of his baggers to wear a Cody Rhodes Facebag ™.

Cody Rhodes is SO good, it’s not even fair. Easily my favorite heel in wrestling today.

9:08- Sin Cara comes out to a medium reaction. He’s finally started to nail that entrance though. Looks like it’ll be a one on one match, Sin Cara vs. Ted DiBiase with Cody Rhodes and his baggers at ringside.

9:11- Cody interferes on behalf of Ted DiBiase, and the beat is ushered in with a Booker T “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww (sheeit was implied).” Daniel Bryan comes out for the save. T-Long comes out to change the singles match into a tag competition.

9:15- We get back from commercials, and Cody Rhodes is about to get his fucking head kicked in. Daniel Bryan tags in Sin Cara, and after a little bit of highflying action, Priceless V2.0 takes control.

9:19- Booker T says he still has money from the 90s. “Still got my lunch money from the third grade.” Sin Cara has been beaten on by Priceless V2.0 for the past four minutes.

9:20- Both Sin Cara and Cody hit the hot tag, and Daniel Bryan takes it to DiBiase. Daniel Bryan hits a diving move that DiBiase catches, but he counters it into a Dragon Sleeper, which he then changes into the LaBelle Lock for the win. I’d rather see Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes one on one, but that was still a heck of a match.

9:27- Oh, hey there, Johnny Curtis is doing Zack Ryder-esque word play gimmicks. This week it’s a chip on his shoulder.

9:29- Has anyone else noticed Obama’s tie changes a few times during the R-Truth advertisement for Capitol Punishment?

9:31- Jesus fucking Christ, they’re letting Randy talk AGAIN? He is a look, don’t listen champion. Then again, it’s getting hard to look at him with that horrible excuse for a beard. Theo, I demand you send him an email with beard growing advice. After the Orton interview mercifully finishes, we see Sheamus hit the ring. Looks like Orton vs. Sheamus will be getting 20+ minutes.

9:35- Randy Orton comes out after we get back from the commercials. His first pop sounded bigger, but obviously the fans are still backing Randall strong.

9:38- Orton’s Thesz Press is SO ugly, but it looks the same every time he hits it, so I can only assume it’s intentional.

9:41- Sheamus is in Booker T’s “fave 5.” I’m with Booker T too, Sheamus is solid in the ring, good on the stick, and plays a great heel character.

As for the match, it has been very back and forth, no man seems to be getting too much of an advantage over the other. Very solid so far. I’m coming around on Orton as an in ring competitor, but he still sucks as a character.

9:45- Looks like Sheamus just kept Orton in a rest hold during the break. He tried suffocating him a little bit when we get back. Vicious fella that Sheamus is. Ref can’t stop him, though, because it’s no DQ!

Randy Orton has nearly taken advantage a first time, but Sheamus keeps stopping him in his tracks. Very well worked match with good psychology.

9:49- The men exchange series of strikes. Sheamus hits some kombos, then Orton comes right back with one of his own.

Uh oh, Orton just hit his 5 moves of doom! But Sheamus counters the Elevated DDT to tossing Orton out of the ring. Nicely done by the Irish Warrior, who sends Orton into the steel steps for a second time.

9:51- Sheamus hits Orton in the lower spine with the steel stairs, and now he’s sliding the bottom piece into the ring. Unfortunately for Sheamus, Orton pops right back to life with his backbreaker, and sets the steps up for a trick of his own.

9:53- Sheamus attempts to body slam Orton onto the steel stairs, but Orton fights out of it, and sends Sheamus into the steel stairs with a powerslam of his own. The landing did NOT look pretty, but he managed to kick out at 2.

9:54- Why do they keep kendo sticks under the ring? What possible use could they have for ringside use? Ladders? Okay. Chairs? That’s fine. Tables? You’re starting to push it, but I’ll let it go. Kendo sticks? No, fuck you.

9:55- SWEET spot where Sheamus has his foot stuck in the ring rope as he hangs upside over the apron. Orton grabs the kendo stick and goes bezerk on Sheamus’s face.

9:57- Looks like Christian turned his car around and drove back to the arena, because he attempted to hit the Killswitch on Orton. Orton fought out of it, only to be met by a huge lariat from Sheamus. Orton still managed to kick out.

9:58- Orton fights out of Pale Justice, dodges a Brough Kick, and then hits the RKO. Before he can even get to the ground to pin Sheamus, Christian smacks him with the title belt. Sheamus crawls onto Orton and gets the pin for the win. Very very very good match.

Overall, I enjoyed tonight’s Smackdown very much. Christian and Cody both cut very solid promos, the 6 man tag match and Orton vs. Christian were both extremely enjoyable, and The Corre has officially broken up! Good times all around.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! - June 10, 2011

Opening Segment - I was entertained by the opening of tonight's show. Christian is quickly getting back into the swing of things with his heel persona. He got something of a mixed reaction when he first came out, which was to be expected since it was unsure if Christian was fully heel, but he built up some great heat by the time it was all said and done. Christian saying he was through with his "Peeps" was a nice touch as the whole "Peeps" line is such a big part of Christian's face character. Bringing Michael Cole into the ring to sort of address the crowd for him as he no longer wanted to talk to them was a great addition. Cole generates intense heat himself, so Christian's use of him in this context only generated more heat for Christian. Very fun segment all around in my view. Thumbs Up

The Corre vs. Ezekiel Jackson & The Usos - I thought this match was ok for what it was. Kinda hard to get into when there are just so many guys involved that either aren't on the radar or that I'm just not into. Still, it was a pretty solid 11.5 minute six man tag match. It did it's job of hyping the upcoming IC title match between Barrett & Big Zeke while furthering the storyline dealing with the eventual end of The Corre. I also like that they kept Barrett & Zeke seperated during the match. We've seen them have a pretty good match on SD! before but it's a good thing I think to wait for the ppv. Big Zeke gets the win for his team after Barrett abandons Slater & Gabriel, allowing Zeke to put Gabriel in the Torture Rack. **

Jinder Mahal vs. Trent Barreta - Another short squash match for Mahal. Mahal looks solid from what we've been able to see out of him thus far. However, it's still kinda hard for me to tell when the guy's two matches have totaled about 4 minutes thus far. He does seem crisp and fluid in the ring and Khali playing the role of the silent monster/enforcer is a perfect fit for such a limited guy. Mahal gets the win with the Full Nelson Slam. *1/4

A.J. vs. Tamina - Not the stuff that legends are made of, but an above average effort from the SD! Divas here. I guess they're sort of building A.J. as sort of this cute little firecracker sort of character. Works for me as she has a good physical look for it. Pretty decent speed vs. power Diva match, decent for what it was I should say. A.J. did look a little green in a few spots but she & Tamina worked well together for the time they were given. A.J. gets the win over Tamina a little past the 2.5 minute mark with a surprise roll up. *

Randy Orton & Christian - Another good promo segment in my view. Orton came out and did his thing, the crowd hanging on every move the guy makes. Christian interrupts from out in the parking lot, addressing Orton about being screwed out of his title & his potential title opportunity via the triple threat match a few weeks back. Orton does the face thing and demands Christian come out to face him like a man. Christian does a good job of generally mocking Teddy Long and his sort of let's ask the audience what they want angle that they've been running. Christian declares he'll come after Orton on his own terms when he's ready rather than on Orton's. He challenges Orton at Capitol Punishment, I don't think Orton really accepts the challenge here but it'll probably be accepted by the end of next week. Solid segment that continued to showcase Christian's fresh heel turn. Thumbs Up

Sin Cara vs. Ted DiBiase - The match lasts about 2 minutes before Cody Rhodes interferes and gets DiBiase DQ'd. While it lasts, the match just doesn't have a smooth feel to it. I don't think Sin Cara & DiBiase have their timing done right. Sin Cara botches one of his spots, but the commentators do a nice job of spinning it in an attempt at locking in a submission hold. Rhodes grabs Sin Cara's feet as he's about to do a springboard and pulls him off the apron, giving Cara the win before they proceed to beat the guy down. Daniel Bryan makes the save, Teddy Long comes out & books a tag match between the four. 1/2*

Sin Cara & Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase - Good solid tag match here I thought. Rhodes & DiBiase got back into the swing of things and functioned well as a team. It was a pretty basic formula match but it was well done. The heels spent much of the time keeping Sin Cara isolated from Bryan while working over his left shoulder. Sin Cara hit some of his high spots here and there but nothing over the top. Bryan came in on a hot tag and looked strong against Rhodes & DiBiase. I though the ending worked out very well with Bryan initially locking in a guillotine choke on DiBiase before spinning it into the LaBell Lock, forcing DiBiase to tap about the 9.5 minute mark. A good showing for Bryan. **1/2

Randy Orton vs. Sheamus - Excellent main event. Orton & Sheamus both worked their asses off here and really put on a hard hitting, competitive, physical no DQ match. Over the past several weeks, the interaction between Orton & Sheamus has been much smoother and far more entertaining than it was when Sheamus was WWE Champion & both guys were on Raw. They did a great job of using the outside ring area but they didn't try to go overboard with it. It was the same with the use of the steel steps. When they were used, they were used sparingly and with a lot of impact. Orton power slamming Sheamus onto the steps inside the ring looked great and Sheamus sold the shit out of it. It was also a nice surprise to see them pull out the Singapore Cane, or Kendo Stick if you prefer. Orton really lit Sheamus up with it while he was tied up in the ropes. Sheamus used it well on Orton, though I'm wondering if they'll be fined due to the headshot Orton took. There were a couple of great near falls and just some generally damn good back & forth stuff going on. Christian runs in and hits Orton with the WHC after Orton lands an RKO on Sheamus. Sheamus recovers and gets the 3 count at the 22 minute mark. Helluva match that just worked so well on so many levels. Aside from just being damn fun to watch, the match made everyone involved look great. Last week, Sheamus had Orton pinned cleanly but lost due to Christian's role in the match. Tonight, Orton had Sheamus pinned cleanly but lost due to Christian. Just a helluva match all around in my view. ***3/4

Overall Show - From top to bottom, I thought the show was quite solid. There really wasn't anything on the show tonight that I didn't severely dislike. The promo segments were really well done and I think Christian just works better as a heel. I like him as a face as well, but he just seems to function better all around as a heel I think. The 6 man tag match was solid, nothing to write home about. Though, by the aftermath, it looks as though The Corre is no more. That's probably best for all concerned. Barrett doesn't need them and really hasn't & Slater & Gabriel have an opportunity to sink or swim on their own merit. The Divas match was far from a classic, but it was an above average showing. Jinder Mahal, the jury is still out for him I think. He's looked good thus far but we haven't seen enough to really see what it's all about. The tag match between Daniel Bryan & Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase was a fun, solid formula tag match. It was good to see Bryan be the one to score the win for his team and generally booked to be the stronger competitor in this particular outing. The main event was fantastic, just an entertaining 20+ minute brawl from start to finish. I don't think it was quite as good as Randy Orton vs. Christian several weeks back, but I thought it was in the same neighborhood. They worked their asses off and delivered a ppv quality main event. Orton is as over as he ever has been and he's done some of the best work he's done in years in this three way feud with Sheamus & Christian.

Grade: B+

 

[BlueRocK55]

OMFG am I the only who pissed off right now?? Raw tonight took place in Zack's hometown and he didn't even have a match? I mean come on, don't get me wrong guys. In the middle of Riley and Miz segment, I heard they were chanting " We want Ryder, we want Ryder ". THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR!!! Zack deserves more better!!!

 

[Undar8d]

WWE 3-Hour RAW - June 13, 2011

I believe it was much better than last week's RAW. Stone cold making The Miz silent was funny to watch. Alberto Del Rio has lost so much steam in such little time.

R-Truth improves every week I watch. His promos are hilarious, you can even hear the crowd laugh sometimes at how good he is at acting insane. I may be in the minority, but I hope John Cena gives the title to R-Truth and takes some time off to heal those injuries that he apparently has.

The rest of RAW was pretty good. A bit too many disqualifications, but altogether I give it a 8/10.

I can't wait to see the 3-hour RAW show next week

OMFG am I the only who pissed off right now?? Raw tonight took place in Zack's hometown and he didn't even have a match? I mean come on, don't get me wrong guys. In the middle of Riley and Miz segment, I heard they were chanting " We want Ryder, we want Ryder ". THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR!!! Zack deserves more better!!!

Who cares? He would have got squashed anyways.

 

[X]

Definitely a great episode tonight, I thoroughly enjoyed all three hours and wasn't once bored, which is honestly saying something for a 3 hour episode of RAW. Fun main event delivered on the wrestling front, awesome Piper's Pit segment, Austin was great all night long, especially in his interactions with The Miz and CM Punk. Everything just seemed to click tonight for a great show.

I do wish we could have seen Zack Ryder though. Atleast he wrestled on Superstars and got to work in front of his home crowd though, should make Superstars a fun watch this week. I'm not even that big of a Ryder fan but I'm looking forward to that already.

They've actually done a really good job of building most of the programs for this Sunday. R-Truth vs. Cena and especially Orton vs. Christian have great builds and should be good matches, and they rounded out the card with a ton of good midcard stuff like Punk vs. Mysterio. The only thing missing is a Daniel Bryan match, but he might wind up booked in a tag match with Sin Cara on the Smackdown tapings tomorrow.

 

[LSN80]

Raw Hits and Misses for 6/13/11​

Raw Hits:​

R-Truth: I went into tonight's show looking at Truth with zero credibility and not as a threat to John Cena's title whatsoever. I thought it would take an act of God to prove otherwise, and while Im not sure He had anything to do with it, WWE turned Truth into a viable threat. His combination of viciousness in his attacks on Hornswoggle and Morrison combined by his unhinged cunning in costing Cena his match vs Punk by messing with Cena's fans created a dynamic we haven't seen before. It will be interesting to see how that translates when the two lock up one on one on Sunday, but Im interested, which is something I didn't believe possible. Well done.

Austin: Yeah, his beer bash celebrating his "victory" over the Raw GM was cheesy, but the live crowd ate it up along with everything else he did tonight. Austin displayed the natural skills starting from his opening promo with Miz and Del Rio that played out nicely throughout the night in both his fun backstage segments with Punk and Vickie as well as his impromptu match making throughout the night. Austin demonstrated the disparity between his natural promo skills that are lacking from most of the canned, forced promos we get from most Superstars today, and was prime example as to why the Anonymous GM is outdated and needs to go.


CM Punk vs John Cena: A good, rare 15 minute Raw main event that accomplished several things. One, it played into the Truth/Cena storyline and presented a compelling reason for how Truth is a real threat to Cena by proxy of his fans, Secpnd, it set up CM Punk as the logical next contender for Cena's title provided he retains on Sunday by virtue of his non-title win. It was nice to see Punk out without Nexus as his own man and holding his own with the WWE Champion, capitilizing on a mistake, and picking up the win. Simple and effective.

Piper's Pit: Piper seemed off his game somewhat tonight, but Riley and Mi more then picked up the slack. This makes four weeks in a row that Riley has now gotten the better of Miz, and a good PPV outing against Miz all but asures he's worthy of the push he's been receiving. He talked and looked like he belonged with a legend in Piper and a great talker in Miz, and is truly blossoming into a star. Miz was his usual brilliant self on the mic and made it easy for Riley to feed off of during the segment, which hyped their match at the PPV well.

Randy Orton/Christian: Christian continues to be the best act going on WWE TV right now, and furthered a great heel turn tonight. His words and facial expressions have been fantastic and truly leaves the viewer wanting to see Orton get his hands on him, and has me awaiting Smackdown Friday to see how the angle plays out heading into the PPV.

PPV hype: I came into the night anticipating only one match on the Raw side(Miz/Riley), and now am looking forward to all five. Truth came out of the show looking like a credible threat to Cena and his title, the video packages on Ziggler and Kingston the past two weeks have been well done and were a nice introduction to both to Raw for those who don't watch Smackdown, and a nice touch for hyping their title match on Sunday. Punk and Mysterio is virtually a best two out of three series and Im glad it was added to the card, Miz and Riley have been hot for 4 weeks, and Del Rio/Kane provided a nice re-introduction for Show to set up their match at CP, as well as re-establishing Del Rio's vicious side.

Raw Misses:​

14 Diva tag match: It's a sad state of affairs for a division when one person means so much to it, but that's truly what Kharma's loss means to the staate of the division. A one minute match? There's no reason to invest in the division whatsoever when none of the women are given time or distinct characters to care about whatsoever. Matches like this, both in size and in length, surely don't help.

Christian vs Rey Mysterio: A match that simply never got going before the cheap DQ. I was excited when Austin booked the match, and was just as equally disapointed. There were several blown spots in the 3 minutes they gave us, and unlike Kane/Del Rio, this one served no purpose whatsoever. I get that Christian is a heel now, but to present him as beating up on Mysterio after the match just because he's a heel is poor decision making in my mind, as his issue is with Orton, not with Rey. Just disapointing all around.

Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler vs Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston: The entire match was based around the premise of setting up the Air Bourne from Evan on Swagger, not in furthering the feud in any way between Dolph and Kingston. Because Bourne and Swagger worked virtually the entire match, this did more to hype the two who are feuding on Raw then the two with the championship match on PPV. As such, it leaves little relevance as to the outcome on Sunday because neither man or the title is elevated in victory. As excellent as the video packages the past two weeks have been on Kofi and Dolph, the lack of interaction between the two leaves the feud wanting. Im looking forward to the match Sunday, but only from a match standpoint, not a storyline one.

Cara, Bryan, Jackson vs Rhodes, DiBiase, and Barrett: This is the same Wade Barrett that was the hottest heel on Raw at this time last year? Hard to believe. He's being booked as a weak titleholder, and this match did no favors for Rhodes or DiBiase either. Five of the six men in the match were booked to look as second rate stars from the secondary Smackdown show. The irony was the only one who was made to stand out is the green Ezekiel Jackson, whose not ready for the push he's getting. If you're going to use Smackdown stars on Raw on "All Star"night, why not treat them as much rather then book them in a throwaway four minute 6 man tag team match?

 

[blueskyy]

Date: 13th June 2011
Rating: 8.5/10

Tonight's show was awesome, everything was awesome. No complains from me whatsoever. Nope, nothing at all. It was thoroughly enjoyable (no comment on the diva's match though, I didn't watch it). Stone Cold was on his "A" game. The wrestling matches were all pretty good -- it flowed well, and was uniquely different.

 

[jm8]

Generally a good show, really hoping they put an end to the whole anonymous GM thing soon though. I know Austin did his bit and destroyed the laptop but I get the feeling it's going to drag on.. would be nice to know who it actually is! Kind of looking forward to the 'power to the people' theme next week, should be interesting.

Only negative bits were the fact that Zack Ryder didn't even get a look in or mention! Not sure what that was about. The WWE never ceases to confuse me lol. Plus the Diva's "match".. well that's probably best left alone isn't it?

Anyways, c'mon people onward to next week, and lets pick some decent matches now shall we!

 

[itssoeasy123]

Very, very good episode of Monday Night RAW.

3 hour RAW's tend to drag sometime's and get rather boring in the middle of it sometimes, this show flowed really well. They built up Capitol Punishment really well, kept Morrison off television, and the matches were very good.

John Cena vs. CM Punk. There nothing to say except it was phenomenal, the crowd was really into it, and they both performed really well in the match, whether it be Punk grounding Cena, or Cena's selling, it was awesome. I wish these two could have a fued because they alway's have great matches. Oh, and CM Punk beat the WWE Champion!

The Piper's Pit was great for building up the match between Riley and Miz. Piper beating Miz was hilarious, and no it didn't bury Miz, it just made him look like an idiot. And holy hell is Riley over.

Stone Cold was on his "A game," tonight. That CM Punk/Austin promo was great.

The Diva's match was what it was. The 6 man tag match was good. The Del Rio/Kane match was good with Kane, and Big Show is really fast for a 400 pound guy.

The whole show was very well put together and flowed very well. It was a very good RAW tonight, let's hope next week it the same.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Don't really have time for an in depth review. Overall, I thought last night's show was very solid. I was kind of disappointed that the overall wrestling content on the show wasn't stronger. There were a few bright spots. I liked the Sheamus vs. Santino match for the fact that it gave me a genuine scare. When Santino hit the Cobra, my stomach fell straight out my ass. Sheamus kicking out and forcing Santino to submit via the Texas Cloverleaf was a nice surprise. CM Punk vs. John Cena was a fun match and I was pleasantly surprised to see Punk get the pinfall victory over John Cena. I also thought they did a great job of making sure all the current feuds were showcased pretty well. The final hype for the bigger matches for the ppv this Sunday came off great in my view. Dolph Ziggler & Kofi Kingston should have another high quality match, Randy Orton vs. Christian should be every bit as phenomenal as their other matches have been, Mysterio & Punk will also deliver a great match and John Cena vs. R-Truth is probably going to be considerably better than most people think.

Speaking of R-Truth, I thought he was great last night. He really seems to have finally come into his own with this storyline and I look forward to seeing what he does & says each week. Six months ago, if anyone told me that I'd be saying that about R-Truth, I'd have laughed in their face. I was disappointed with how WWE treated Morrison's return last night. Truth put JoMo on the shelf for a month & a half and he's standing back there smiling & smirking like an absolute tool??? On the bright side, it was unique to have Truth "take out" Morrison for a second time. I kept expecting to see Morrison just come out of the crowd & go after Truth from behind, but him having already taken Morrison out and putting the explamation point by ramming that big trunk into him was a very nice touch. Seeing Truth beat up Hornswoggle was nice too. I just like seeing midgets get beaten up. Does that make me a sociopath?

Big Show's return last night was well done and he showed a lot of intensity. He beat the holy shit out of Rodriguez. Show comes across as someone that's really scare when he behaves royally pissed like that. I doubt his match with Del Rio will be a classic, but it could be solid. I just hope they don't have him just tossing Del Rio all over the ring for 5 minutes before Del Rio gets himself DQ'd or something.

The Piper's Pit segment was pretty fun, though I'm a little turned off at the prospect of Stone Cold & Piper both getting over so much at Miz's expense. Especially Roddy Piper.

Stone Cold did a good job overall last night. He popped up when he needed to, he didn't run around trying to dominate each segment, etc.

As I said, I'm disappointed in the generally weak wrestling overall last night. However, I thought they did a really good job of pushing the storylines along, highlighting the big feuds & matches of the ppv. The stuff with the Divas was really the only thing I outright hated last night but it wasn't anything truly major. There were no silly dance contests, no general waste of time or attempts to just fill air time with general nonsense just for the sake of having it on. The fact that next week's 3 hour show is basically a "Viewer's Choice" episode does make me a little worried because it has the potential to be horrible.

Overall, I'd give last night's show a B-. I enjoyed the vast majority of the show, it kept me entertained almost the entire time.

 

[Craig-O-Mac]

Look fellas, was going through some of the Live Discussion Thread and I have to say the amount of negativity I saw in there was unreal despite some of the great things it produced! Last nights' Raw was very entertaining and here's why....

- Miz interacting with Austin
- Piper's Pit
- Orton/Christian shoot(ish) comments
- Alex Riley chant!!!
- Punk interacting with Austin
- A worthy Cena vs CM Punk main event with a white hot crowd
- PPV made to feel important
- R-Truth was awesome on the stick
- Hornswoggle got taken out
- 2 returns; Big Show and JoMo
- A ''We Want Ryder'' Chant!!!

 

[Jenna.]

OMFG am I the only who pissed off right now?? Raw tonight took place in Zack's hometown and he didn't even have a match? I mean come on, don't get me wrong guys. In the middle of Riley and Miz segment, I heard they were chanting " We want Ryder, we want Ryder ". THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR!!! Zack deserves more better!!!

He did have a match it just wasn't televised.

Last week's 3 hour Raw show was dope. I went and it's so much better being there than actually watching it on TV. I was a lil turned off with how many freaking Cena shirts I saw, but to my surprise the hate for this dude is intense. Cena sucks chants were intense....it kills me however Cole, Lawler and Booker T will play it up as that the WWE Universe loves John Cena. Smh.

The street fight between Cena and The Miz was pretty dope. Sheamus, Miz, R Truth and CM Punk jumped him and I loved every moment of it...until Stone Cold came out and saved Cena. Then of course Superman got the last laugh and him and Austin celebrated with beers.

This week's Power to the People crap was an utter mess.

No surprised that Kelly Kelly got the majority of the vote. Nice to see her get her first title, although I slightly wanted to see Eve Torres more, but w/e.

This is when I knew this shit was rigged.....we could of had an amazing match with Evan Bourne and Sin Cara. EPIC. You're telling me the WWE Universe wanted MASON FUCKING RYAN? Who in the blue hell? Epic FAIL. I don't get it...are were not suppose to see a face vs a face????

-____- at Kane and Mark Henry in an arm wrestling match....shoutout to the B-More crowd for putting this crap on blast with the "this is stupid" chants. I will admit I do like this heel turn for Mark Henry. Him putting Big Show and then Kane through a table is beastly. That's crazy.

I'm pretty amazed at the reaction and pop Kofi gets. I dunno if he is a WWE/Heavyweight contender but the WWE has to keep building on his popularity. Sucks he lost his US title but w/e that title is wack anyway. Interesting what they're gonna do w/ it now that Dolph has it.

I've never been one to cheer for heels besides The Rock (when he was one, but I digress I cheer for anything Dwayne does.) but for some reason I find myself enjoying the entertainment of CM Punk, The Miz, Christian and R Truth...and it sucks if CM Punk leaves once his contract expires. This just proves that this brand just isn't what it is anymore. The WWE can't afford to lose anymore of their "top stars" and if it is true that Punk is not happy with the treatment he's getting I don't blame him. Everything is about Cena and although I love Randy, him as well. CM Punk deserves a decent storyline and push. The one with Randy Orton was dope but now he needs title push...he's much deserving of one just like R Truth is. With all that said decent match between him Mysterio and Del Rio; glad he won. Hopefully he wins the title but rolleyes

Daniel Bryan is so ugh to me lol. The match between him and Cody was boring. And this push that they are giving Cody is like a waste of time, the crowd is not eating it up.

o_o at Vickie Guerrero and Michael Cole. That's all I have to say about that.

Now about the main event.....you just knew how the pecking order would go. This John Cena thing is out of control....it's like a trainwreck waiting to happen. Idk maybe I'm just biased and can't stand him and I love Randy Orton but how often does this guy loses? Randy Orton has all the ability to be the top face but yet they made him inferior to Cena when he went down with a fucking spear. He hasn't went down with a spear YET and NOW he does to set up Cena for the win?? Matter fact I wouldn't have been mad at all if they lost. But it's getting out of control that they keep winning. Even last week's Raw Cena lost, but after the show was over Cena STILL WON.

Anyway after a pretty good Raw last week, it's laughable that awhole week later they fell off tremendously. Whatever what can you do? Power to the people my ass.

4/10 this week.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

Yeah, I'm taking something I started over in The Prison and bringing it over to the Main Boards. Let's go.

21/6/2011 Raw Review - Power To The People!

Raw Opener
CM Punk is starting off tonight's show and he says he wouldn't trust any of the fans because they will make some awful decisions tonight. He says no one can decide anything involving his career tonight, and since wins and losses still matter, he is the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. He asks the anonymous GM to send an email making his match official, and he wants it in his hometown at the Money In The Bank Pay Per View. He says he is having a sit in, and he isn't leaving until they make it official. Punk mocks Cole for answering the email, then Cole says the GM will consider Punk, but he needs to leave the ring now. Punk says he isn't moving and starts making snow angels, and another email says since Punk disrespected him, he will have to earn it in a match against Alberto Del Rio. Punk mocks the decision, and a final email comes in and it says the match will now be a triple threat, and the third man will be Rey Mysterio! Punk yells at Booker and Cole before leaving the ringside area.
Rating: 3/5 - Pretty good, I like Punk's snow angels.

Brie Bella vs Kelly Kelly - Diva's Title Match
Nikki distracts Kelly Kelly outisde and Brie starts choking her on the ropes then applies a chicken wing like submission. Kelly tries to get out but Brie slams her down by her head and applies a rear chinlock. Kelly gets out of this and slams Brie's head off the mat repeatedly but Brie comes right back with a neckbreaker for two. Kelly goes to the corner after the pin attempt and tries to go to the second rope but Brie holds on into a pin attempt. Kelly holds on and rolls through and gets the pin to win the title.

After the match Brie and Nikkie argue and shove each other up the ramp and King interviews Kelly in the ring. She says she loves Power to the People and she will try her best to make all of the fans proud. She leaves the ring after holding her new championship abover her head and heads to the back after celebrating some more.
Rating: 2/5 - Nothing new in this match & it should've been Beth.

Evan Bourne vs Mason Ryan
Bourne kicks Mason and tries to use his speed to avoid him but Mason grabs him and rams his shoulder into Bourne in the corner. He whips Bourne into the corner and Bourne rebounds and tries to dropkick him, but Mason clotheslines him then hits two backbreakers and a fallaway slam. Mason chokes him on the ropes and breaks on the ref's count and it allows Bourne to comeback with some rapid kicks to the head. Mason bodyslams him and tries to set him up on the top, but Bourne knocks him back and hits a mule kick. Bourne gets a near roll up for two, then gets caught coming off the top rope with an Uranage Slam and Mason covers him.
Rating: 2.5/5 - Enjoyable.

Kane vs Mark Henry - Arm Wrestling Match
Both guys act like they are ready then break, before finally locking up on the third try. They aren't able to move one another until Henry gains the advantage but Kane starts to even it back up. Henry punches Kane with his free hand and the contest is thrown out as they fight in the ring. Henry knocks Kane down then throws the arm wrestling table on him to knock him out of the ring. Henry continues the assault by throwing Kane into the ringpost then starts taking the announcer's table apart. He starts screaming at Booker and King then picks Kane up and hits the World's Strongest Slam through the table, and yells at the fans and ringside workers. Henry tells the trainers to let him suffer, because he had to suffer and he is going to start hurting some people.
Rating: 2.5/5 - Nothing hugely terrible, but not great either.

R-Truth/Christian/Miz Promo
R-Truth comes out and says he will let the fans continue to act like animals, and he bets they are glad they get to run the show. He says he didn't think his plan out clearly at Capitol Punishment, and he couldn't figure out that he would get 'got' by Lil' Jimmy. He knew it was a conspiracy people all the Jimmys... He doesn't get to finish his thought as Christian comes out to interrupt. Christian says Power To The People is a complete joke because he had his title stolen from him because the people decided he should face Randy Orton. He blames the horrible audiences for his setbacks and he blames Teddy Long, and now a horrible referee. He shows footage of his foot being under the rope at Capitol Punishment, and he says he needs one more chance because he got screwed. Truth says at least Christian got to be champion, but he got screwed by Lil' Jimmy.

Miz comes out to interrupt and he says they want to complain like crybabies, but his problems are legitimate since a referee got involved in his match. Christian says he and Truth were actually in title matches when Miz was just fighting his apprentice, and they all say 'how dare you' and 'really?' to each other. Teddy Long comes out to tell them to shut up, and says the fans don't to see them talk but they want to see them in action. The three men in the ring will be in a six man tag match, with the fans deciding the match, against Alex Riley, Randy Orton and John Cena! All three argue in the ring as the fans cheer and Cole complains about how Teddy Long shouldn't even be there.
Rating: 3/5 - Entertaining at the little back & forth part towards the end.

Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston - 2 Out Of 3 Falls for the US Championship.
Kofi kicks Dolph in the ribs and continues to punch him on the floor, then rolls him inside and continues to kick the ribs. Dolph rolls outside but Kofi follows him and brings him back in and gets a two count. Kofi hits a suplex then catches Dolph with some right hands and Dolph tries to run again. Dolph fights him off then rolls away from a running Kofi, and he falls through the ropes and to the floor as we go to a commercial. When we return, we find out Dolph picked up the first fall during the break by hitting a Zig Zag on the floor and rolling Kofi inside. Dolph continues the offense by dropkicking Kofi, and he hits a running Fameasser, but Kofi steals the fall when he catches Dolph with a suprise S.O.S.

Both guys take awhile to get off the mat and when they do Kofi grabs Dolph but Dolph reverses into a neckbreaker, then puts Kofi ina rear choke on the mat. Kofi is able to get up but Dolph holds on until Kofi slingshots him into the corner, then Kofi leaps up and stomps on Dolph's chest then dropkicks him and goes up top. Vickie screams for Dolph to move but he gets hit with a back splash, and is still able to kick out at two. Dolph tries to leave then swings at Kofi with the belt, but he ducks and hits Trouble In Paradise on the floor. Kofi fights to roll Dolph in, and almost gets the pin, but Dolph gets his hands on the ropes and tries to run again. This time he hits Kofi in the head with a microphone to get intentionally DQ'd and he keeps his title.
Rating: 2/5 - Definitely their worst match. SOS looked nie though.

CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio - #1 Contender Match for the WWE Championship.
Punk and Alberto go after Rey and he tries fighting them off with kicks and sends Alberto over the top rope, but misses a 619 on Punk when Alberto runs back in and clotheslines him. Punk clotheslines Alberto out to the floor and asks for a count, but Rey leaps off the apron and hits Punk with a crossbody as we go to commercial. Upon return, Punk and Alberto break up each others' pin attempts and starting fighting each other, but Rey get back in it with a hurricanrana on Alberto and a dropkick on Punk. Both end up on the middle rope and Rey looks for the 619, but Punk catches him and lifts him for a GTS, but Alberto breaks it up and they all fight in the corner. They end up hitting a stacked suplex out of the corner then go for more pin attempts.

Rey gets knocked out momentarily but avoids a running Alberto and tries to go up top. Punk gets him on his shoulders and drops him, but Rey hops up and knocks Punk down then dives on Alberto on the floor. Rey goes back up top and hits a senton for two, then goes for a springboard splash but Punk avoids it. Punk is the next to go up top but Rey cuts him off and goes for a hurricanrana, only to miss it. Alberto locks in the Cross Armbreaker but Punk breaks it up and gets knocked outside, and Rey hits the 619 and goes up top for a splash. He connects with it and goes for the cover, but Punk runs back in and throws him shoulder first into the ringpost, then makes the cover on Alberto.

Punk grabs a mic after the match and says July 17th will be a historic night for the WWE and him, because it is the night he beats John Cena for the WWE Championship. He brings up the honesty he was referring to, and says he usually gets in trouble for his honesty, but his contract is ending on the same night. He says when the clock turns midnight, he will be done, and he is leaving WWE, and he is leaving with the WWE Championship.
Rating: 4.5/5 = Absolutely great match, followed by a Promo that was quite bare, stripped back by Punk. If he is going to leave, it'll be a shame.

Daniel Bryan vs Cody Rhodes - No Count Out Match
Bryan dives on Cody outside then suplexes him on the entrance ramp and kicks him at the top of the stage. Cody tries running but Bryan catches him in the ring with a missile dropkick, and he runs the ropes but gets caught with a knee by Cody. Cody goes on offense for a bit and kicks Bryan, then slingshots Bryan and tries to get a small package, but Bryan rolls through and takes the win.

Cody tries attacking him but Bryan puts him in the LeBell Lock until Ted DiBiase breaks it up. Cody and Ted attack Bryan then Cody picks him up and hits the Cross Rhodes, and Ted gets a paper bag and holds Bryan so Cody can put it on him.
Rating: 3/5 - Not a bad match, with what was actually an obvious after attack.

Vickie Guerrero vs Michael Cole - Dance Contest.
Vickie dances for like two seconds then forces Striker to kiss her. Cole says they will see perfection then dances like an idiot. He does the worm then tries a lame attempt at a Spinaroonie. The fans boo Cole less, and he even gets some cheers, and is declared the winner. Vickie slaps him and calls him a cheater, then dances up the ramp.
Rating: N/A - This was just T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E

R-Truth, Christian & The Miz vs John Cena, Randy Orton & Alex Riley
Miz puts Cena in a headlock then Cena bulldogs Miz and tags in Orton, who knocks Miz down with a European uppercut. Miz uses the ropes to kick Orton in the head and he keeps him down long enough to tag in Christian. He takes Orton down with a knee to the gut and works on him in his corner then distracts the ref so Miz can attack Orton. He lands a neckbreaker for two and keeps Orton down until Christian misses a spear and Orton takes him down with a powerslam. Orton gets the tag to Riley who fires away on Christian and he knocks Christian down then elbows Miz off the apron. Christian attacks Riley and Miz runs back in while Cena is arguing with the ref, and hits the Skull Crushing Finale. Christian makes the cover and Riley is eliminated from the match.

Miz starts punching Orton in the middle of the ring then waits for him to get up and tries to clothesline him but Orton clotheslines him first out of desperation. He gets the tag to Cena and Cena starts with a sit out side slam and goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Miz pops up and hits a backbreaker neckerbreaker combo. He tries going up top but Cena catches him on the way down and tries to put him in the STF, but Truth and Christian break it up. They keep Cena in their corner and Christian puts him in a sleeperhold, and kicks Cena in the head when he tries to escape. Truth comes in and hits a front sit out suplex then mocks Cena and tries to hit a suplex. Cena blocks it and suplexes Truth, then crawls towards Orton almost gets the tag but Truth holds his leg to stop him. Miz tags in and knocks Cena down, and sets up for the SCF, but Cena reverses into the AA, and hits it while simultaneously knocking down Christian. He makes the cover and Miz is gone, leaving the match two against two.

Christian knocks Cena down and goes up top, but Cena moves out of the way and dives across the ring to get the tag. Orton powerslams Truth then hits the suspended DDT, and sets up for the RKO but Christian cuts him off. He knocks Christian out of the ring and avoids an axe kick, then hits an RKO on Truth to eliminate him. Christian hits a quick spear on Orton and eliminates him, then mocks him and celebrates, forgetting to pay attention to Cena. Cena tries to hit him with the AA but he holds on to the ropes, but turns around and gets hit with an RKO. Cena grabs him and locks him in the STF to win the match, and he and Orton celebrate with their titles on the turnbuckles to close the show.
Rating: 4/5 - Definitely the second best moment of the night, after that Triple Threat. Decent way to end the show.

There we have it then. Overall, a show that had a couple of strong points, yet fell flat in multiple areas. Gotta look forward to two things next week, which are Raw Roulette & the appearance of Shawn Michaels. There should've been a better ending, like last year with the debut of The Nexus. But it was an allright show.

Overall Raw Rating: 3.5/5

Anyone got thoughts on it? Let me know.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Monday Night Raw - June 20, 2011

Opening Segment - I thought the opening last night was quite solid. Over the course of the past 2 years, Punk's come so far. He's smooth as glass on the mic and is just so comfortable in his skin and with his character that it feels 100% natural. Antagonizing the anonymous Raw GM the way he did was a nice touch and it worked to set up what sounds like a great triple threat match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Thumbs Up

Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella - This was the first "Power to the People" match of the evening and it was for the WWE Divas Championship. The "People" got 3 choices for Brie's opponent and Kelly Kelly got the nod. The match itself wasn't horrible, it was above average for most Diva matches and was about as good as we could expect for 3 minutes. Kelly gets the win by reversing a victory roll to become the new champ. Her speech afterward was a nice touch and at least they've got the title on a face Diva that's over with the crowd and can get at least a pretty good response from them. *1/4

Evan Bourne vs. Mason Ryan - On one hand, this makes it completely obvious that the "People" have jack shit to do with these matches. If you want fans to even remotely believe that their votes matter, don't be so blatantly transparent. On the other, I thought Bourne & Ryan did a decent job of telling a David vs. Goliath story. I know Vince is absolutely in love with Ryan's look but the guy needs more work. He's still pretty green inside the ring and it shows. It also didn't make all that much sense to me for them to show a video package on Evan Bourne only to feed him to Mason Ryan in a 5 minute match afterward. Ryan gets the win with his Rock Bottom type finisher. 3/4*

Kane vs. Mark Henry - This was the third match of the night and the "People" voted on the stipulation: a body slam match, arm wrestling match or over the tope rope challenge. An arm wrestling match got the nod. Prior to the match, I thought Henry did a decent job on the mic. Nothing earth shattering, but he did a decent job of coming across like a menacing sort of guy. As the arm wrestling match starts, or a bit before it stars, a pretty decent "This is stupid" chant broke out. Kinda hard to disagree as this particular "match" is a poor example of lazy booking because we all know what's coming. Henry eventually hits Kane, giving Kane the win via DQ. Henry does wind up giving a good beatdown on Kane, however, while talking some good trash at the same time. I thought it was kinda fun seeing Kane manhandled by someone with the legit strength to do it. Henry finishes him off after hitting the World's Strongest Slam on Kane through the announce table. Henry continued to talk some trash and kind of rant about how he's disrespected and how things are gonna change. So, a mixed bag here. A lazily booked "match" stipulation followed by a good beatdown from a legitimately intimidating powerhouse. Thumbs In The Middle

R-Truth, Christian & The Miz - This was the start of the second hour of last night's show, which would be Raw's usual start time. I thought all three of them did a good job on the mic with a fun verbal exchange. Didn't necessarily do much to put anymore heat on them but they all have good heat at the moment anyhow. Truth came out and did his conspiracy thing, Christian came out and complained about how, since his leg was under the bottom rope, he shouldn't have been pinned against Orton at Capitol Punishment. Miz comes out while insulting the both of them and complains about biased refereeing in his match with Riley before they all get into the verbal exhange. Truth injecting his "Jimmy" into the Miz/Christian argument made me chuckle. Teddy Long then comes out, for some damn reason, and puts the three of them in a match against Cena, Orton & Riley for the main event. Simple, effective segment that was able to shine light on the grievances the three men have while setting up the main event. Thumbs Up

Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston - This was a return match for the United Sates Championship Ziggler won at the ppv. The "People" were able to pick the stipulation: a 2 out of 3 falls match, Vickie banned from ringside and a submission match. Surprisingly, 51% chose a 2 out of 3 falls match. The match itself was very good with the usual level of quality we've come to expect seeing these two work a match together. I liked that Kofi was more aggressive here than usual and the match went back and forth for a bit here until Kofi eventually lands outside the ring before they go to commercial. As they come back, we're informed that Ziggler got the first fall. It sucked that it happened during a commercial but it wasn't totally expected. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag outside, rolled Kofi back in and got the pinfall. The match continues and it continues to build up steadily in pace. Kofi manages to hit the SOS on Ziggler for a pinfall, evening things up. For the last fall, they really kicked it up with a lot of energy and some back & forth offense and some fun near falls. At one point, Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise on Ziggler after Ziggler attemps to waffle him with the belt on the outside. Kofi rolled Ziggler back in but Ziggler broke the count by placing two fingers out over the bottom rope. The ending was kinda weak with Ziggler hitting Kofi in the head with a microphone, causing a DQ. Kofi ultimately wins at the 12.5 minute mark by DQ but Ziggler retains, indicating that this feud will go on for a while longer. ***

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio - Prior to the match, Del Rio comes out and delivers a solid promo putting over his victory over the big show as well as talking about "destiny" again. The stipulations the "People" could vote on were falls count anywhere, no DQ or submission match with two thirds picking option A. The match itself was great with a lot of energy from the start. The fans were into this from the beginning and all of these men had really good chemistry together, not surprising. I thought the match told a good story of two opportunistic heels believing in their own superiority a little too much. About the 11.5 minute mark, Rey hits Del Rio with the 619 and the splash from the top. Punk manages to get back in the ring at the last possible instant, pulls Rey off Del Rio and tosses him under the bottom rope causing him to collide with the ringpost. Punk gets the cover on Del Rio and gets the win at the 12 minute mark. Punk is the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. The falls count anywhere stipulation was virtually nonexistent here but the match was highly entertaining and it had the right outcome, so I don't think hardly anyone really minded. He gets on the mic and talks about how the MITB ppv will be historic and mentions that his deal with the WWE ends the day after the ppv and that he intends to leave with the WWE Championship. It's a good hook for the title match and will have people buzzing and debating as to what ultimately is gonna happen with Punk. ***1/4

Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes - The "People" could pick the stipulation in this match: a paper bag match, a no count out match or a collegiate rules match with option B getting the win. I thought this was a solid 5 minute match between the two of them. A good back and forth match with some good physicality at times between them. It wasn't nearly as good as the first match they had against each other several weeks ago on SD! but it was good for the time it was given and they work well together. Bryan ultimately gets the win after reversing a small package on Rhodes. Cody attacks afterward only for Bryan to lock in the LaBell Lock for a bit on Cody. DiBiase attacks, both of them beat down on Bryan and put a paper bag over his head. **1/4

Dance Contest - I have no idea what happened here because I turned the channel. I had ZERO interest in watching two people dance badly just for the sake of filling some air time. I'm sure it was horrible, I've no doubt about that but I didn't see it. N/A

John Cena, Randy Orton & Alex Riley vs. The Miz, Christian & R-Truth - A very fun tv main event, even if the ending was a little on the predictable side. The "People" voted and the majority madet his an elimination 6 man tag match. There was a lot of action going on during the match and it was a fun, effective way of highlighting these three feuds and storylines. Much of the first 8 minutes or so is spent with the heels isolating and working on Randy Orton. Orton eventually makes the hot tag to Alex Riley. Riley goes after The Miz, knocking him off the apron and causing the other heels to jump him. Cena & Orton come to the rescue. As the ref tries to restore order, Miz recovers and hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Riley. Christian makes the cover and Riley is eliminated around the 8 minute mark. The heels continued to control much of the next 9 minutes or so, some good action with Cena against Truth & Miz at times with Orton waiting for the tag. Cena is able to rally himself and hits Miz with the Attitude Adjustment to eliminate him at the 17 minute mark. Truth comes in and takes control of Cena before Cena is ultimately able to make the hot tag to Orton. Fans go nuts, Orton peppers Truth with clotheslines & powerslams before hitting him with the DDT. Christian comes into cut Orton off and allows Truth to recover a bit. He goes for the scissor kick, Orton moves and hits the RKO to eliminate Truth at the 19 minute mark. Just a few seconds afterward, Christian explodes out of nowhere and catches Orton with the spear, getting the pinfall and eliminating him. Cena tries to catch Christian off guard and hit the AA only for Christian to fight out of it. However, Orton is still in the ring and catches Christian with an RKO, allowing Cena to lock in the STF and forcing Christian to tap about the 21 minute mark. The faces win and the crowd goes home happy. ***1/4

Overall Show - There were a few rough patches but I was very entertained by the show for the most part. Last night's show was very wrestling heavy and several of the matches were very very good. There were a few examples that made it totally transparent that the fans' votes meant squat with the most obvious being Evan Bourne facing Mason Ryan rather than Jack Swagger or Sin Cara. Swagger & Sin Cara are far superior workers to Ryan and the fans know it and I've little doubt the majority would have rather seen Sin Cara against Bourne. However, this show was light years ahead of and vastly better than the viewers' choice episode of Raw last year. The first hour wasn't that hot overall but I'm not all that surprised since the WWE knew that the first hour would be the least watched last night. Kelly Kelly winning the Divas Championship was the right call. She's the most over of the Divas and she's at least able to make the fans give a shit. The arm wrestling match was lazy booking at its finest but the beatdown Mark Henry gave to Kane was nicely done. The promo featuring Christian, R-Truth & Miz was fun. Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler was another good quality match between them. Yes, we've seen them wrestle for what feels like a thousand times and I can understand if some are kinda tired of it. At the same time though, it's hard for me to complain when they're able to give us very good matches each and every time. The #1 contender match between Mysterio, Punk & Del Rio was great. The falls count anywhere stipulation didn't really mean much of anything but the match was a lot of fun, all 3 worked very well together and the right guy won. I know that triple threat matches are overused, but the WWE does them very well. They're given enough time, a story is told and everyone involved is given time to show their stuff. Punk's follow up announcement that he's leaving the WWE after the MITB ppv and intends to do so with the WWE Championship will cause ceaseless buzz & debate for the next month on the net especially. Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes gave a solid 5 minute filler match. I'm glad to see that Bryan hasn't turned into a jobber over on SD! and is steadily becoming a relevant force once again. I didn't watch the dance off but I know I wouldn't like it. I'd been praying all night that we wouldn't have one of those and just when we're about to get to the home stretch, Vince decides to strike. The 6 man tag main event was a lot of fun and did a good job of tying in these three existing feuds and it ultimately sent the fans home happy. So yeah, this show was head, shoulders, hips & ass better than the viewers' choice episode of Raw in 2010. It did drag a little at times, mostly during the 1st hour and there were a few instances in which the laziness of the booking revealed that the fans' votes didn't mean much of anything. However, we were treated to severy very good matches, a quality beatdown, a title change and an announcement from Punk that'll have everyone talking about his match with Cena right up to the ppv.

Grade: B

 

[cboedeker2]

Now, I know that I'm not the only person that noticed how displeased the crowd was with some of the "People's Choices" last night. First of all, the first two or three were all letter B. Second, how do you vote for an ARM WRESTLING MATCH between Kane and Mark Henry??? I mean how stupid do they honestly think we are? MASON RYAN Vs. Evan Bourne??? To steal a page out of The Miz's book...REALLY!?!?!? REALLY!?!?!? REALLY!?!?!?! Best part of the show, no doubt, R-Truth, Christian, and The Miz's promo. A PROMO out-did every match on the show! What does that say about the booking from last night? I honestly haven't seen a Raw that I thought was as bad as last night's in a LONG time.

 

[rge2010]

WWE on Facebook are stating that there was 'Technical Errors' in the votes and they were miscounted.

I think after the way the crowd reacted and forums alike with all the outrage at the obvious 'rigging' they MAY have made this up to cover themselves. However, wasn't a ONE FALLS MATCH picked for the Main Event? Surely the creative were not behind this? That is a bloody joke.

In the UK we have a company called Ofcom that regulates votes on programmes like X Factor and Britains Got Talent. Companies have being fined huge amounts of money before for fixing votes. YES, Wrestling is scripted, but when WWE is charging people to make a vote and advertising 'power to the people' that falls under the trades descriptions act. Its false advertising.

Does the USA have something similar?

 

[Mac Attack]

Now, I know that I'm not the only person that noticed how displeased the crowd was with some of the "People's Choices" last night. First of all, the first two or three were all letter B. Second, how do you vote for an ARM WRESTLING MATCH between Kane and Mark Henry??? I mean how stupid do they honestly think we are? MASON RYAN Vs. Evan Bourne??? To steal a page out of The Miz's book...REALLY!?!?!? REALLY!?!?!? REALLY!?!?!?! Best part of the show, no doubt, R-Truth, Christian, and The Miz's promo. A PROMO out-did every match on the show! What does that say about the booking from last night? I honestly haven't seen a Raw that I thought was as bad as last night's in a LONG time.

I'm sorry but.

Another extremely smarky comment about last night's show. Last night's show was very good. They had several good in-ring segments, quite a few good matches and overall a very good show. You had to be incredibly naive to realize it was a Viewer's Choice Raw. The entrie point was to suggest the idea of unpredictability. I thunk they also teased quite a few things on the show. I think that overall it was better then most Raws I have seen. And to think that Punk's segment was that amazing is a good thing because of the hype that will be going on at MITB.

 

[McCraken]

I thought last night's Raw was ok at best, I mean I have seen worst, but the power was not in anybody's hands but Vince McMahon's. The fact the Sin Cara was not Bournes opponent last night, and of all people Batista 2.0 Mason Ryan got voted in, thats a dead give away that it was rigged. And please tell me why we had to watch a dance showdown between Vickie and Cole, why? You could have easily put some others in this spot to wrestle, like Drew McIntyre, or Ryder, or at this point even Santino against someone would have been more entertaining.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I don't think anyone really believes anything the WWE do isn't in some way predetermined. Not unlike how next week's Raw Roulette wheel will miraculously stop on all kinds of ridiculous concepts none of us want to see.

Also if it was really "power to the people" they would have opened it up to the whole roster, and we undoubtably would've seen Zack Ryder in some capacity. I'll agree it was one of the lesser Raws in a while though it did have a few good segments particularly the CM Punk promo, the Miz/Christian/Truth promo, and the Punk/Rey/ADR match. Whenever they announce a show like this I just enjoy it for what it is, knowing that I'm not ever really going to see what I want.

 

[@smarkmouth]

From PWTorch;

WWE has announced Evan Bourne vs. Sin Cara was scheduled to occur on Monday's Raw, but a "backlog of votes" for the Divas Title match that opened the "Power to the People" Raw led to Mason Ryan being announced as Bourne's opponent.

WWE's headline on their website reads: "Text Vote Screws Sin Cara." WWE posted the following note on their website Tuesday:

"WWE apologizes to the WWE Universe, Raw's 'Power to the People' voters, and especially Sin Cara and Evan Bourne. The match vote was skewed by a heavy backlog of votes from the Divas Title Match. More details on WWE.com throughout the day."

The issue resulted from Kelly Kelly and Mason Ryan sharing the same (b) option in the text voting. In the opening Divas Title match, Kelly was selected to face Brie Bella. Mason Ryan was the same (b) option for the second match, which meant votes for Kelly were given to Ryan.

I think this being a legitimate error or creative pull are both plausible. Either way, it was a blessing. Bourne vs Sin Cara is not a match that should be given on free TV with absolutely no hype. WWE can now sell this match as the match that should have happened last night. In fact, if done right, they could ride this thing to Summerslam.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

it was a blessing. Bourne vs Sin Cara is not a match that should be given on free TV with absolutely no hype. WWE can now sell this match as the match that should have happened last night. In fact, if done right, they could ride this thing to Summerslam.

I don't know if you've noticed this, but despite having a PPV what feels like every other week, WWE LOVES to throw away what could potentially be great, money making, PPV quality matches on free TV, only to give us the same rehash over and over and expect us to pay $50 for it. Add to that the fact that anyone under 6'5" or that can't deliver amazing promos they feel is filler and this match likely never would've made it to PPV anyway.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

Hypothetically speaking, let's say the vote WASNT rigged.......

When 51% of the voting audience saw that Evan Bourne video, they must have thought to themselves, "I can't wait to see that annoying, smiling happy guy get it handed to him!"

Seeing as the most casual fans can barely recognize the roster, as they went to vote they thought "OMG it's BATISTA!!!! Why the hell is he wrestling under a new name???"

As evidenced by the live crowd, they might really think Mason Ryan IS Batista!