Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[X]

Well, I thought tonight's Smackdown! was a damn good improvement over last week. Still not as entertaining as Raw, but getting there definately.

The cruiserweight 6-man was pretty entertaining, except that Shannon Moore just looks ******ed (and I love and listen to punk). I was very glad that Matt Hardy won the MITB qualifier, as putting both Hardys in the MITB match is going to mean absolute chaos!

Ashley came out and pretty much halted any entertainment right in it's tracks. I noticed she's starting to actually attempt wrestling moves, but she still has no wrestling talent. Same goes for Jillian Hall, both of them just looked stupid out there. Only saving point was Ashley's hotness, which honestly isn't even that much (I find Melina and Mickie James 20x Hotter).

I was surprised as all hell that Finlay won the MITB qualifier, as I was almost certain that MVP was going to win it, I could have sworn to god that a story came out not to long ago about Jakks making a MITB figure set and that among the dolls to come out were to be Jeff Hardy and MVP. Maybe I'm just making stuff up in my head. Anyways, damn good, Finlay deserves the spot.

And jesus. God. Almighty. Somebody stop Lashley now, please somebody, anybody! Did you see him when he came out? I looked at my TV and was just like "Well any sort of entertainment won't be happening for another 10-15 minutes". Jesus he sounds so terrible on the mic, did you see him when he said No? He sounded so stupid, not tough at all. Than we get to see Kennedy vs. Lashley in a semi-No Holds Barred match, which was disappointing as all hell. I had high hopes for this match as I thought that Kennedy would be able to carry Lashley and perform some nice hardcore spots, however nothing of the sort happened and Lashley got another undeserved victory. What the hell is the point of having this guy be the ECW champion if you never let him fight under Extreme Rules?

Overall, very entertaining, a good show all around with only a few weak spots to hurt it.

 

[Bernkastel]

I agree with the ashley statement after reviewing the match but come on, give jillian a little more credit, If the match were realistic then ashley would have been squashed. its amazing how watered down wwe has to make jillian in order for ashley to get over. Im surprised people don't see right through ashley's lack of experience. Granted she's trying, but its still unrealistic to have Jillian jobbing to her week after week. Even worse wwe has decided to give ashley a title shot. IMO, jillian should be the one with the push and the title shot, as she's 100 times the diva that ashley is. And her willingness to put over the smackdown divas in an effort to make them all look at the least bit credible should give her some recognition.

 

[Downward Spiral]

Smackdown is definitely improving, but most of it is still boring as shit. They aren't trying anything new, and the stuff that is meant to be 'out there' such as Little Boogeyman and Jillian Hall's singing character, is just crap. This latest SmackDown really didn't show anything new. We saw some good matches but really, nothing made it worth watching.

The matches were excellent for their standards and the promos were good, but really, we didn't see anything exciting and I don't think they are doing too much to make it exciting. Nothing makes us sit up and take notice and right now, I am bored to the limit with seeing Matt Hardy vs Joey Mercury because they took out any lustre that the feud could have had. It was fine for the first few weeks, but then SmackDown stuck them in matches again and again and again. That is an automatic sleep inducer whenever the two face eachother again, and this weeks match was no different.

The Finlay, MVP and Benoit match was a decent match, but Benoit really needs to be in the main event. Having him get the time he deserves against Undertaker is something that SmackDown should go for, because it is simply talent being wasted when Benoit is stuck with a worthless title. I liked MVP's role in the match and Finlay wasn't that involved, but I guess he was the guy that they are going for in the match. It's a shame, because that means Benoit will be stuck with Boogeyman or some other pathetic wrestler that he is forced to job to at Wrestlemania. That is if they even have the US champion on the friggin card.

The Batista and Taker promo was okay. Batista is terrible on the mic (some emotion might help) and the Taker segment has been done a million times before and is just cheesy now. I guess they are building it up steadily, but the fans seem to care a little about it, so I guess the WWE are happy.

Jillian shows decent wrestling in patches, but if she constantly jobs to Ashley, she will never be champion. There is just something about womens matches that make you want to switch the channel immediately, particularly on SmackDown. I think I have got a clue though: They all can't wrestle for shit compared to what they used to. SmackDown's women are probably a lot worse than Raw's ones (that is saying something) and are just being used for time fillers.

McMahon says the same old crap in a pointless segment where Lashley did nothing other than let himself get slapped by a 60 year old. Who cares?

The Cruiserweight match was interesting for me, because the fans seemed to love some of the action. If that is the best they can do, I think we are in for a little bit more than we expected. No, it's not anywhere near what Cruiserweight action is meant to be like, but for these guys to make the crowd cheer is a definite achievement for the WWE and their 'revamped' CW division. The ending was a little shaky, but Yang looks to be the lead face Cruiserweight on SmackDown, and it was good to see the underdogs get a win in a somewhat high-flying match. It's improving, but they don't have the guys there to make it special.

The ECW title match just killed Kennedy's reputation in my opinion. That is around the third time that he has failed to win the title in that match, and it is showing in the lack of heat he has been getting. I hope they stop defending the title on every show, every week. It was a good match that wasn't as good as Dykstra/Lashley, but it was an good main event and I was pleased to see that we got one this week. Lashley is showing some intensity in his matches, but he is just green like Kasey has said. He shouldn't be a World Champion, but I guess it is just ECW, so it doesn't really matter. They should be credited for making the fans get behind Lashley, and this feud should do wonders for him. It leaves Kennedy in a bit of a hole, but I guess it just furthered Lashleys push. I hope Kennedy gets away from ECW soon, because SmackDown needs him feuding with guys on their show.


Overall it was a good show but nothing was truly exciting, and that is why the fans aren't tuning in each week. The show is just like a duplicate of the last every week, and although the matches were good, that doesn't mean it was a good show. I would like to see more innovative ideas from them that don't revolve around things no one could possibly like, and maybe they will improve from the B that I am giving them for this week.

 

[Bernkastel]

My interest in wrestling as a whole has gone down tremendosly over the course of the last month or two. I guess the repetitive storylines and rather bleak matches that wwe have repetitly tried to pass off as entertainment have not been doing it for me. Out of Raw and Smackdown, I perfer smackdown because smackdown has more wresltling and less drama, plus smackdown has my two favorite superstars kane and undertaker. I agree, smackdown has improved, sometimes it even establishes itself as the dominate show. Though there seems to be a pattern that for every good show there is a strain of smackdown shows.

To be honest, i'm to the point now that I won't even pay full attention to smackdown unless kane or taker are in action. I watched the show this week because I wanted to scout the ashley/jillian match, which turned out to be a bust. I know jillian deserves better, but she has a very important job, w/ out her the smackdown womens divison would cease to exist because all the women are incompetent except for jillian who is a phenomenal athlete. I also enjoyed the curiserweight action, and the taker promo this week. Other than that, I spent the rest of the night watching kickboxing and muy thai, occasionally checking in on the program during comercials.

I really don't care about the vince vs trump angle. And the fact that ECW main event took away more storytime for smackdown just made me not want watch the show even more. I think if wwe is serious about having separate brands, then they should keep the cross promotion to a minimum. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining since ECW is only an hour show and its taped at the same time as smackdown, so if wwe were doing cross promotion for a big fued for wresltemania, then I guess smackdown would have to suffer. Although I do give kudos to Vince for wanting to get his head shaved for the fans, of all the bad things that go wrong and through all the stuff that we fans complain about, Vince and the rest of wwe still manages to find a way to make it up to us in the long run, that's why wwe is still popular with us.

 

[Downward Spiral]

The following is from WWE.com:

The road to WrestleMania takes another turn when Raw rolls into Phoenix on Monday night.

Last week, Donald Trump chose ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley as his representative for WrestleMania 23. Lashley will face Mr. McMahon’s representative, Intercontinental Champion Umaga. Moments after the announcement was made, the two champions locked up in the ring, sparking a vicious brawl that was nearly uncontainable. With WrestleMania still a month away, will these two powerful Superstars clash again before they reach Detroit?

Mr. McMahon also announced on SmackDown that on Raw, the WWE Board of Directors will name a special guest referee for the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania. Who will the Board choose to put in the middle of Lashley and Umaga on April 1?

Last week, World Tag Team Champions John Cena & Shawn Michaels defeated Rated-RKO to retain the titles. Monday night, the two teams will be in one-on-one action against each other, as WWE Champion Cena will face Edge and Michaels will square off with Randy Orton. Will the World Tag Team Champions continue their mastery of Edge & Orton, or will Rated-RKO individually one-up The Champ & HBK?

It was also revealed last week that Mickie James’ contract guarantees her a Women’s Championship rematch against Melina and allows her to choose the stipulation. Mickie has chosen a Falls Count Anywhere Match, and will face Melina for the gold Monday night. Will she be able to recapture the title?

Find out live Monday night at 9/8 CT on the USA Network.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matches Announced:

- Edge vs Cena
- Orton vs Michaels
- Mickie James vs Melina in a Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Women's Title

 

[Prax]

The two things that have made SD improve so much lately, if you ask me (among other things):

1. JBL on the announce team. The dude makes it SO MUCH FUN to listen to smackdown every week, he's hilarious!

2. Dusty Rhodes on the creative team. Seems like ever since he got hired it's been getting better. Too bad he's on the ECW team now... oh well, maybe he can do good things for ECW then.

By the way, I'm watching the Smackdown replay now... King Booker doing commentary for the MITB qualifier... THIS GUY IS HILARIOUS!!! Man when he retired they better hire him as a color guy! He's almost as good as JBL!!

 

[The not-so Great Khali]

I was surprised as all hell that Finlay won the MITB qualifier, as I was almost certain that MVP was going to win it, I could have sworn to god that a story came out not to long ago about Jakks making a MITB figure set and that among the dolls to come out were to be Jeff Hardy and MVP. Maybe I'm just making stuff up in my head. Anyways, damn good, Finlay deserves the spot.

The story about Jakks making the MITB figures said they would make Jeff Hardy and Mr Kennedy, not MVP.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I'm actually looking forward to the Mickie Melina match. Diva gimmick match's tend to be quite good. I'm not taliking about Bra & Pantie's match's. But Trish/Victoria's Hardcore match from 5 year's ago was good and the Lita/Victoria? Cage Match from a few year's ago actually delivered, and Lita did'nt injure heerself, which is alway's a bonus.

Or I could be wrong and it will be awful.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Result's 5th March

# World Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels def. Randy Orton
# Intercontinental Champion Umaga def. Jeff Hardy
# Chris Masters def. Hacksaw Jim Duggan (Master Lock Challenge)
# WWE Women's Champion Melina def. Mickie James (Falls Count Anywhere)
# Ric Flair vs. Carlito (Money in the Bank Qualifying Match; No Contest)
# WWE Champion John Cena def. Johnny Nitro (Disqualification)

I enjoyed the Mickie/Melina match.

I'm glad neither Carlito or Flair is in the MITB. (So far)

Overall an average show.

 

[Lee]

And Bischoff, Foley AND Austin. can't wait until Friday night to watch this!

 

[Mexican Geek]

ok, i have a couple of questions about Last Night RAW:

1-Mick Foley's Old Job? this means Foley's return to wrestling? or what kind of job he was talking about? (man, i hope he return to the ring, i cant wait 2 see Foley feuding EVERYBODY!!)

2-MITB Carrlito vs Flair: it seems that Randy Orten is getting thje last spot, but i dont know, i think Carlito could be a good adition, or even another ECW (Sandman, Hardcore Holly) also. but about this match, was a No Contest? or theres a Rematch Clause. or whats gonna happen?

3-Eric Bischoff: Is he still part of the Roster? i mean, does he has a contract?

4-What the hell Khali Screamed? I know he wants kane, but i bet you that more than half the Arena in Phoenix didnt understand him. ( III VVANT KAMEEE!!!)<--thats what i heard..

 

[X]

I'm assuming by giving Foley his "job" back it'll probably mean a commisioner role with maybe a few matches in the year. I'm souped nontheless.

Last night's Raw was GREAT I thought, it's been a long time since I enjoyed Raw that much!

Shawn Michaels vs. Orton was pretty good for an opening match, though it left a lot to be desired. Someone here on the board kept saying that Shawn always does the same sequence of moves before Sweet Chin, and I agree I finally noticed this. It goes inverted atomic drop, scoop slam, elbow, than sweet chin music, every time! Damn Shawn, you really need to retire bro, you are the greatest of all time but your time is past man, take a note from Kevin Nash on this one. However, was anyone else confused as hell when Edge came out with Orton? I could have sworn last week meant that RKO was broken up, maybe not. Orton is definately hinting at it though.

Umaga vs. Jeff Hardy was just as I expected, an okay mid pace match up. I was surprised at some of the things Umaga did however, he seems to be learning by leaps and bounds. A shame Hardy didn't get the win though, the title is going to waste on the "unstoppable" Umaga.

The masterlock challenge was its usual boringness. Somebody fire Masters already, guy is a waste of time on Raw. For a second I thought maybe Hacksaw would get out of it, but of course not, he has to job to this newbie with no talent. Duggan...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE RETIRE! You are WAAAAAY past your prime dude.

I was expecting a lot more out of the falls count anywhere Women's title match. They kept saying it was the first one in history, but that isn't true as I have the old WWF Hardcore VHS with the Tori vs. Ivory falls count anywhere match back in the summer of '99. That was a great match for sure. Anyways, I swear to god I could've kicked my TV right in when they went to black for the two second shot of Candice's boobs. IF ONLY I WAS IN ATTENDANCE! lol, ah well Candice isn't even that hot anyways. Lame finish, and for the second week in a row I was 100&#37; certain that Mickie had broken her neck. That looked STIFF man. First Shelton, now Mickie, this is not good luck man.

I was surprised with the Carlito vs. Flair MITB match, as I was under the impression that Randy Orton was confirmed for the last part. Than, of course, Khali comes out and kills all momentum of the show. This guy needs to go to a chiropracter, I really don't think he knows how to bend his arms or legs.

The Cena vs. Mercury match was a pretty stupid way to end the show, I was hoping Austin might come out and just stun the lot of them. Which brings us to the best part of the show.

Now, I was certain it was Austin as referee, and when I saw Foley come out I was just like FTW?! When Bischoff's music hit my face was the same, like, am I tripping here? I thought Bischoff wasn't part of the company anymore, and that he nixed a return to the company? Maybe it was just cause they were in his hometown. Anyways, when Foley came out I was once again ecstatic. This guy could come out and fart into the mic and it'd be gold in my eyes. When that guy in the monkey costume came out, for a second I thought maybe Austin would be in there, but than the guy was way to limber to be Austin. When his music hit, I swear to god my head hit the ceiling and theres a hole in my roof. Rolled around the floor pumping my fists in unison just to hear the old music back with the glass shattering and Austin drinkin' it up. Greatest Raw moment in a long, long time. Wish I could've been there.

So, Austin on ECW tonight? Should be interesting, alot more so than RVD vs. Elijah "I Don't Have an Inch of Charisma In My Body" Burke.

Overall, it's going to be real tough to beat Raw this week.

LONG LIVE AUSTIN!

 

[Austin3:16]

Raw was great last night. When Austin came out I jumped off my couch and went nuts. I was so pumped seeing Austin who is my favorite wrestler of all time. I can wait to see him on ECW. Also I hope they keep Mick Foley around the WWE as a commissioner or hopefully a wrestler. His prescence alone will make Raw better. I also wish they could make Austin a GM after wrestlmanias over. Hopefully Vince offers him a rediculous offer that he cant refuse.

By the way im sick of The Great Khali I hope Kane woops his goofey ass and chokeslams that bitch all the way back to India. He's a waste of time and he hurts the show more than he helps it. That MITB match between Flair and Carlito was getting good until The Not so Great Khali came out and ruined it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

This monday there will be the final MITB qualifying match. It's a triple threat match between Orton, Carlito & Flair. I dont want to see any in the match myself. I'd prefer Nitro or Helms. I also think that Orton deserve's a higher profile match and Carlito/Flair seem's like a 'B' show match to me.

 

[Austin3:16]

This should be a good match between Carlito/Orton/Flair. I think Orton will win so they could have him go up against Edge to win the MITB match at wrestlemania.

 

[tmangamer]

They should probably have put Carlito and Flair in the MITB match, and make a one on one match between Edge and Randy Orton (if it was space on their card that they needed). If they are still trying to add matches to fill in the card, they should have put Helms and Nitro in the MITB match, and have Carlito vs. Flair, and Edge vs. Orton too.

 

[Lee]

On Monday night, Raw will roll into the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. and will bear witness to what is sure to be a historic Battle of the Billionaires contract signing.

Last week, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was announced as the special guest referee for the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, and on ECW on Sci Fi, he "guaran-damn-teed" that one billionaire will leave Ford Field bald on April 1. This week, Austin, billionaires Donald Trump and Mr. McMahon and their representatives, Bobby Lashley and Umaga, will share the same ring during the official Battle of the Billionaires contract signing. What will happen when all five explosive personalities are within the same confines for the first time? Will Mr. McMahon give Trump the billionaire b***h slap he is so found of promoting?

Also, Executive Assistant Jonathan Coachman has announced a blockbuster Triple Threat Match for Raw. Randy Orton, Carlito and Ric Flair will do battle, with the winner claiming the final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 23. Last week, the qualifying match pitting Flair vs. Carlito was interrupted by The Great Khali; will one of them make good on their second chance, or will the Legend Killer (who lobbied his way into this opportunity thanks to a meeting with Coachman) join Rated-RKO partner Edge at WrestleMania?

Last week, Shawn Michaels stayed true to his word and had WWE Champion John Cena’s back, but it seemed to take HBK a little longer than it should have to save his partner from a triple team. Will Michaels live up to his reputation for turning on his partners as we continue on the road to WrestleMania?

And after acting as special guest ring announcer in a Falls Count Anywhere Match between Women’s Champion Melina and Mickie James, soon-to-be Playboy cover girl Ashley shoved the mouthy Women’s Champion down on her butt. Will the two Divas meet up once again in the nation’s capitol?

Find out live Monday night at 9/8 CT on the USA Network.


Official preview...

 

[Downward Spiral]

This weeks Raw was a little dull for my taste. Too much time on promos, too much Vince McMahon, and not enough wrestling. Maybe they could wake up to themselves and think "Hey, maybe there are other people besides McMahon and Trump on Raw nowadays" and cut the crap. Sure, we should have gotten used to seeing McMahon's face on TV for 30 minutes every week, but I am really starting to get annoyed with it. He has been saying the same old stuff every week and wasting time doing it. Sure, Austin returning was an awesome moment, even if Steve isn't the same anymore (did you see the crowd go nuts?) but here's a hint for the WWE during their promos: Have a point. Bischoff coming out and saying basically nothing was just pointless, and I had no idea what the Foley thing was all about.

The wrestling was below the standard it has been lately and that was a shame. Sure, the Austin moment could have saved it, but even that was overshadowed by poor promos and asinine matches. The women's match was a joke because it just degenerated very quickly. Mickie really hurt her neck, and that set up a weak finish which Melina is known for. God I miss the days when Lita and Trish main evented Raw.

Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton was decent but Orton's restholds are as aggravating as anything. I like the matchup and I hope to see it down the track, but Michaels just isn't the same in the ring anymore and looks like he needs some time badly. There was just something about this match to me that made Michaels really look injured, which he has covered up well in the last few months. Another weak finish, which is becoming a worrying trend.

Flair and Carlito was too short but it had some nice back and forth action, with Flair surprisingly dominating most of it. I would like to see more 'passion' from Carlito because that isn't really evident from my perspective. Khali is just....I am so filled with anger and boredom from him to think up of a suitable word. What a great promo cutter he is. Those three words were just gripping. God he has really improved fast. From gibberish, to semi gibberish in little over a year! My God, WWE, give this man the main event push he so clearly deserves.

Nitro and Cena was its usual short and not so sweet. Cena does the same old crap, gets DQ'd, and another Raw main event is a piece of crap, and what do you know, Cena was involved. Nitro just isn't convincing anymore and no one buys him as a main event guy anymore. He's got talent, but he is being canned. Interesting aftermath and they are building the Cena & Michaels feud well and good on them for that. It looks like they will side with Cena if Michaels turns heel though, and I hope they go that way for their match to make it a little interesting.

Overall it would get a B- from me because it was just bland and was a disappointment from the last few weeks. Let's hope they can improve and keep the promos to a definite minimum. I hope Austin doesn't clog up the TV screen a lot though, but I can see this trend continuing of getting Vince's mug on TV for 30 minutes with his feud with Trump every week.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

On Smackdown tonight.

The Miz debut's his new interview segment. Great.

Finlay vs. The Undertaker

And Kane vs. Batista.

Sound's like an average show to me.

 

[underdog]

I hpe carlito wins the triple threat mitb match. Then they make a randy vs flair match at wrestlemania where it is a I quit match. Then randy wins cause he is the legend killer and flair retires.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Flair will never retire. He'll be like Gypsy Joe wrestling into his 80's & 90's. He need's to keep wrestling he's in so much debt. He need's to change his lifestyle, unfortunatley he seem's unable to do so.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Result's March 9th

* World Heavyweight Champion Batista def. Kane
* Undertaker def. Finlay
* King Booker def. Matt Hardy
* Mr. Kennedy def. CM Punk

I watched it in the pub last night. It seemed like an average show. The Booker/Hardy match seemed good. It appeared to go quite long, but maybe that was the booze.

I dont mind Punk loosing if it's to somebody who's going to be a future main eventer. So I'm fine with him jobbing to Kennedy. It just pisses me off when he looses to the most un cool wrestler ever. Hardcore Holly.

 

[BaldwinBaller08]

It is kinda obvious that it will come down to Flair and Carlito just dominating Ortons life for most of the match. When Orton is finally down Carlito and Flair will go at one another until they are just about drained when Orton finally takes advantage and wins... Orton not in WM are you kidding?

 

[X]

Smackdown seemed like a decent show this week, though it wasn't nearly as good as Raw was. Then again how could it be with the return of Stone Cold? Overall there was some quality wrestling happening on Friday night, but the whole show just seemed to be very apathetic, uncaring about the product. It didn't seem that anyone was really into what they were doing. I don't know, it was an okay show though, and I enjoyed the Finlay vs. Undertaker match very match.

What do you guys think?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I liked Hardy/Booker. I wish all T.V. match's were given that much time.

I enjoyed the Finlay/Taker match. A feud between them could be intresting. Altough I dont know how they would build it. Taker rarely speak's and Finlay isnt particularly good on the mic.

I'm still not sure who's going to win the M.I.T.B. I know it's either Kennedy or Edge. I dont want Edge to loose his W.M. streak but Kennedy is the better option I.M.O.