Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[Jack-Hammer]

Overall, I thought Raw was a solid show tonight. As was the case on January 4th, Vince showed that he simply doesn't sweat TNA. We can only see whether or not it's something he regrets. The build up for Taker/HBK at WrestleMania just keeps getting better each week. I really have no idea how the match is ultimately going to end.

Triple H and Sheamus showed the beginnings of some good chemistry tonight. Triple H gave a really good promo and really set up the whole young upstart vs. battle scarred veteran feel of the match pretty well. Sheamus held his own with Triple H, looked strong and got things off to a good start. There's still a few weeks before WM and I the build up will only improve.

The tag titles are starting to get respect finally as they're actually going to be defended at 'Mania and the build up between ShowMiz and Morrison & R-Truth got off to a decent start. I would have actually enjoyed seeing them wrestle and I was kind of disappointed that they didn't.

The handicap match between Orton and Legacy was good, though I'm ultimately not sure what they're going to do for WrestleMania with the three of them. It was good to see DiBiase get a clean pinfall over Orton and even though it was a handicap match, Legacy's stock couldn't help but rise tonight.

The Criss Angel segments were pretty lame, however they didn't take up very much time so I didn't have much of a problem with them.

I was disappointed that Kofi Kingston isn't going to be involved in the MITB match at 'Mania this year and I'm disappointed that the MITB qualifying matches have been of such low quality on Raw this year. But, on the positive side, Evan Bourne will add a nice high flying element to the match at WrestleMania.

The Cena/McMahon main event didn't go quite as I expected. I'm a little mixed on the gauntlet stipulation that Vince put into effect because most of the participants in the gauntlet weren't marquee WWE stars. It would have been nice to see Vince get beat down a little during the match, which I'm disappointed didn't happen, but does set things up nicely for next week. The WWE Championship match between Cena and Batista got another boost and push forward and I'm expecting big things to happen next week.

Overall, I thought Raw was a solid show. As with January 4th, they didn't go all out. They just put on a solid show that continued to build up towards WrestleMania. I'm sure TNA pulled out all the stops tonight, surprises and all that. Now, if TNA were to pull off such a high quality show each and every week, then maybe the WWE would be in trouble.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Not a bad Raw tonight. Raw has been steady over the last few weeks. I didn't think Shawn and Taker's confrontation was all that great, but it's always nice to see the veterans showcase their skills. I don't see what the big deal is having this match as no count out and no DQ. I mean aren't most WrestleMania or PPV main events no count out and no DQ since the ref always anything? I liked Triple H's promo. I couldn't understand what the hell Sheamus said. I guess he wants a match at WrestleMania.

I expected more from Criss Angel, at least his show is mildly entertaining. He would try to make a jet disappear or try to escape certain death and walk levitate. Tonight all he did was pull a string through from his mouth to his eye. Oh and he guessed Regal's number and smashed up some Styrofoam cups. Any homeless guy can do that. They were short skits so it wasn't that bad.

The matches were kinda short throwaway matches except for the Legacy/Orton match. The Divas match and MITB really did nothing for me. I'm just wondering how are they going to have an exciting Legacy/Orton match at Mania when they gave it away on Raw already. We had a bait and switch main event with Cena facing Koslov, Swagger, McIntyre, and Henry. AKA WWE jobbers. Vince got the quick pin with help from Batista.

Some people may be fine with mediocrity and call Raw a solid show, but I think any show whether it be Raw or Impact needs to have intensity every week. I know not all shows are going to deliver like last week, but that wasn't the case 10 years ago when we were on the edge of our seats watching Raw. Now I'm really not on the edge of seat about anything on Raw. Steve Austin is hosting next week.. ho hum. There is a contract signing and 3 matches we have seen over and over again though.

I think next week will probably be better then this one's though. I just think Impact has the edge this week. Next week could be the same or different. By the way, Is there no new names for the HOF? I guess Stu Hart could be the last one. Raw was alright though, with the help of DVR fast forwarding.

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

I thought RAW was decent this week. The match quality wasn't really there but the promos and build to Wrestlemania was done excellently. The MITB qualifying match and the divas match were just throwaway matches. However, the handicap match was good and I enjoyed it very much, especially the psychology Orton brought into the match. Ted and Cody also did a good job and came out looking pretty good, despite it being a handicap match.

The gaunlet match wasn't doing anything for me until Batista came out. He just looks so impressive at the moment and he was made to look very strong on RAW. Also the tag match did a good job in giving the unified tag team championship match some attention. I certainly didn't expect JoMo and R-Truth to just clean house like they did, but it was good to watch.

Shawn and Taker never disappiont when they're in the ring together and last night was no exception. Although it probably wasn't one of their best promos together, it was still very good and it reminded me just how hard this match is to call. I think the best part of RAW though, aside from the handicap match, was Sheamus and Triple H's promo. I thought Triple H said some very interesting things about his past at Wrestlemania and it did a good job of raising the importance of the match at Wrestlemania, particularly for the career of Sheamus. I also thought the brawl was good and I expect the match at Wrestlemania will consist of quite a bit of that. On a side note, Sheamus' music is really starting to grow on me.

Of course, I loved the announcement of Stone Cold as guest host next week and can't wait to see the contract signing next week.

 

[gd]

Well, I watched more TNA than WWE for the most part last night, but I still thought Raw was ok.

I missed the opening HBK/Taker segment, but I heard it was quite good. I'll try to check it out. I don't know if I can be anymore excited for this match at this point. The build has been absolutely fantastic.

I saw the sloppy ass Diva's match. Whatever.

I tried to skip most of the Angel stuff. Was it just me, or did he have a lisp? Santino didn't bring the funny during his guest host segment. Most disappointing.

The tag match/segment was pretty godd. Didn't see all of it, but did see the Miz promo followed by subsequent beatdown. Alright, I guess.

Saw a little bit on the handicap match, but honestly, wasn't interested enough in it to watch it over other things that were going on at the same time, mainly RVD. The Legacy feud has been decent though. It'll be interesting to see how exactly the WM match plays out. I'm guessing it'll be Orton v. Dibiase, but not sure.

HHH and Sheamus are having a match at WM. It should be alright. Apparently they fought each other or something. Once again, not that interesting.

Bourne v. Regal was kind of surprising for me, as I thought for sure we'd see Kofi in the MITB though. I guess they have other plans for him. Bourne is a decent enough choice though. Should do a pretty big flippy of some kind.

During the last match, I was fully tuned into Raw. I liked the Gaunlet match idea as Vince v. Cena simply wouldn't have worked. I like the whole segment as Batista is just awesome right now.

I'd say the show was a solid B.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night's Raw drew a 3.4 with an estimated 5.1 million viewers. The first hour drew roughly a 3.3 rating while the rating rose during the second hour to a 3.5. The quarter hour ratings for the show were: 3.45, 3.15, 3.27, 3.15, 3.39, 3.56, 3.27, and 3.6. The overrun of the show did a 3.98. If you factor in the overrun then the should would have pulled a 3.45. Overall, it was a solid rating for Raw. As long as Raw is able to draw in the 5.1-5.5 million viewer range, the WWE is probably pretty happy. Given Raw's line up for next week, however, they're definitely expecting a higher rating for next week.

 

[Undar8d]

Overall decent show. I'm finally into Batista's heel persona now, which is great. He's working very well with Cena and I can't wait to watch their match at Wrestlemania.

The Undertaker/HBK segment at the beginning was a little long. Nonetheless, it was interesting to hear that it's now no disqualification or count-out victory.

Diva's match was good. Eve is sure improving.

Rest of the show was OK. It seemed RAW was a little laid-back to me for some reason. 3.4 is a good number, but I can't wait for next week

 

[wadskillen]

Absolutely hate it when wrestlers like rey bring their family into segments but holy shit the heat punk got when he came out and interrupted 'happy bday' was amazing and made the whole family thing worthwhile, best heel moment in a long long time. I hope to frig that the wwe didnt edit the crowd reaction like they have in the past because the live crowd really makes a segment but of course only if you know its natural and legit. Punk is awesome and just gets better and better, lets hope he doesnt screw up politically again and we see him as heavyweight champ for a long and meaningful run some time.
otheer thoughts, prob like most dont wanna see morrison n r tuth 2gether but they will prob do a good job. edge n jericho just aint having the build i would have liked although great to see jericho finish the show on top to balance things a bit...ne1 reckon the spear chants will catch on?

 

[jerichochamp]

FINALLY, Jericho got the "last laugh" on Edge, BUT
tonight on Raw when Jericho faces HBK...EDGE needs to come out and he and Jericho need to BRAWL THROUGHOUT THE ARENA!!!!

These 2 could have a classic at WM, BUT they need to really up everything about this feud!!!!!

Jericho needs to look credible...maybe unbeatable.

Edge needs to quit talking about the stupid spear!!!

 

[atomicpunk]

Not an awful show tonight, but nothing that really kept my interest. I wasn't too keen on the whole Wrestlemania Rewind concept. You'd figure with Stone Cold hosting they'd put up more of an effort. I guess not.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Raw was simply the better show this week. I was worried about them blowing it with some ridiculous comedy skits with the usual comedy chain gang of Jillian, Santino, Hornswoggle, and Masters, but they didn't use them at all. The matches were really good, I was surprised that Big Show beat Cena. I would of liked to see a winner with Michaels/Jericho and Orton/Triple H, but I'm not upset about the interference.

I thought WWE did a great job or promoting WrestleMania with all their matches. There was no Undertaker this week but there didn't need to be. I'm just wondering where does Kofi Kingston stand for WrestleMania? There is suppose to be another entrant to the MITB, but Kofi was beaten by Batista. I hope there is a match on Superstars so Kofi can at least have a purpose at Mania. I wasn't too thrilled about the divas and the knockoff Beautiful People with Vickie Guerrero. I'm sure it will lead to some abysmal diva battle royal match at Mania that no one will care about.

It was great to see Austin again. The man looks like gillberg almost since he is so skinny. When he came down to the ring with the crowd chanting his name, I thought it was the 90s all over again. And that's not a bad thing. It most of been hard for Cena to come out after Austin since he is such a tough act to follow. Cena still got a good reaction though.

The triple threat legacy match was announced tonight. I'm sure these 3 will have a good match but I'm not really interested in seeing it since I saw it last week. Also, Orton saying that Rhodes and Dibiase are nothing gives them even less credibility. A good confrontation between Hart, McMahon and Austin. All of us wanted to see a stunner, but it would of took away from the feud. I do wish that Austin was involved in some way in their match at Mania though. As either a ref or a enforcer. Either way, Wrestle Mania is going to be cant miss.

Awesome show tonight. Damn I wish Austin could be the permanent GM. That would never happen with his schedule, but one can dream. Wrestlemania or not, it's amazing what a little competition can do.

 

[Lee]

I thought Raw was spot on. For my Austin opinion I said this in another thread:

To me Stone COld was the best guest host we've had, not by a long shot but it was good.

Lets start with the fact that within two minutes he's said hell and ass and I KNEW all the smarks would be laughing about PG. Stone Colds promo was done very well, he knew there would be a WHAT chant, and for once that didn't annoy me. The fact his promo ended and Cena came out symbolising that Cena is this generations equivalent I thought was very exciting, obviously both men have great respect for each other. Though back onto the promo, did Austin plug anything? Not directly (see next paragraph) what he did do was push Vince as a serious in ring wrestler as well as Bret. This I thought was very good as many people of the younger generation see Vince as an old man and generally don't know who Bret was.

Now the HBK/Jericho segment was great. This is where the plug came in, in the background his DVD was playing with posters for the movie. It wasn't in your face, but it was there if you noticed it. The interaction with Jericho and Austin was a good laugh and we're seeing more and more of Y2J every week. Plus the segment with HBK was brilliantly done, put HBK over as well as putting Taker over. Not that they need it, but you get my drift.

One thing I didn't notice until afterwards was the lack of the job squad...thank goodness!

Now the contract signing, this was perfect. We got Austin putting Vince in his place and the whole focus was on Bret/Vince NOT Austin. Yeah we all wanted to see stunners but that would take away from the feud in focus. This was superbly done, Austin was a great guest host.

Now matches, I know we'd seen all before but I still enjoyed them. Big Show v Cena was ok, nothing too exciting but add Batista into that it worked really well.

HHH v Randy was brilliant, I very much enjoyed their match and it was one of their best they've had. It was such a different dynamic with Randys seeming face turn (which I might add has been spot on!). Legacy at the end was expected, but who expected them to attack Trips first? I thought that was brilliant as it technically got Randy the loss and also not to forget the Legacy DX feud what was going on.

Jericho v HBK...did we expect anything less?

Even the Divas match was decent, Kelly Kelly improves week on week and for a moment you thought she'd win, obviously she didn't but it was well done.

Sheamus/Bourne. I feel sorry for Bourne, he just qualified for MITB and he didn't even get an entrance/match. The promo by Sheamus was good though.

Batista/Kofi. Again I enjoyed this match. How anyone can say Kofi's push has stopped when he went toe to toe with the WWE champion is beyond me.

All in all pretty darn good Raw, building perfectly for mania (if you notice this year there's a severe lack of complex story lines, that I like!)

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Raw was great last night, even the Divas match was pretty decent. It wasn't a barnburner or anything, but the fans were into it and Kelly Kelly is pretty over with the crowd.

I thought Austin did a good job last night. Whatever anyone might think of the Guest Host angle, like it or not, it's been able to garner a pretty broad selection of celebrities. As with most guest hosts, Austin didn't dominate the show and that's a good thing. We know Austin was great back in his day and yes it was great to see him, but Raw kept the focus on WrestleMania and what's taking place this year and that's exactly what needed to happen instead of getting caught up in a lot of nostalgia.

I enjoyed the matches on Raw last night. We've seen them all before, but they were still entertaining. I thought the overall best match of the night was Triple H and Orton. Legacy and Sheamus both looked strong last night. I'm not sure how fond I am of Orton and Legacy in a Triple Threat Match at 'Mania, but it could still be fun. Sheamus drew great heat last night, gave a good promo, and left Triple H laying again. I thought Lawler and Cole did a good job last night of hyping the Sheamus/Triple H match by keeping up the whole "WrestleMania is a shot at immortality" schtick.

The contract signing was exactly what I hoped it was. I was hoping that Bret Hart would reveal that he set Vince up into thinking his leg had been injured. It was a great way to end the show.

Another thing I noticed last night was the distinct lack of comedy skits and that definitely needs to happen more often. I understand that a skit is going to take place now and then, that's all well and good. But Raw was very high quality last night, the focus was on WrestleMania and wrestling and that's a forumla that Raw has used successfully this year thus far. The Jerry Springer episode, in my view, is the only actually bad episode of Raw in 2010. The rest have been at least solid.

 

[Mr.Superstar]

CM Punk and Rey Mysterio is a great fued. This feud if continued and rey doen't take time off to heal injuries after mania this could be in the top 10 fueds of 2010. CM Punk is great. The SES is great. CM Punk is a great leader. To let all yo people who boo him I'm a member of the SES so I think you should start treating him with respect. Rey Mysterio is going down at mania and will be the newest member of the SES and we the Straight Edge Society will be unstoppable and we will prove that we are better than you. DRUG FREE, SMOKE FREE, and you will never see us DRUNK.

 

[SexandWrestling]

I'm really digging the CM Punk/Rey Mysterio feud but the way the announcers were talking at the beginning of Smackdown, it's like the tone they would use if something tragic happened...I was thinking, what the fuck are they talking about? Then they start talking about the segment with Rey's family and Punk. Punk didn't do anything bad. He essentially challenged Rey to a match at Wrestlemania and sung Happy Birthday to Aaliyah; albeit in a sort of creepy sort of way. He didn't even completely annihilate Rey in front of his kids. The announcers tried to play it off like it was something big but it really wasn't.

I really hope Punk wins at Wrestlemania and Rey is forced to join the SES. Even better would be an old Sandman/Raven twist and have Rey's son Dominique cause Mysterio to lose. That could make this feud get even more interesting.

 

[zozman]

RAW was great tonight, we had a lot of wrestling, great promos, as little as we would want out of the guest host and a lot of HBK.

First off we started out with HBK getting into the ring and giving another great promo (as is always expected - I just hope it's not his last) about Wrestlemania and how he is gonna be known after it as the man who ended the streak. In the process he was interrupted twice: first off by a great video package ending with the Undertaker's promise to end his career (as if the deadman was a tech savvy guy) then the not so great but to the point pete rose.

After that we had one of many to come Cena-Batista video packages that were although repetitive hyped there match.

Then we had a match between miz and morrison and finally there was a mention of there history albeit for a sec. But the match was good so whatever.

We were then treated to an interaction between Face Orton and HHH. Good stuff.

After that a video package highlighting the pin point accuracy of the deadly spear.

Then spear spear spear spear spear...............................aaaaaaaaaaaaaah shut up already.

Sorry,moving on we had the second match of the night, maybe the worst, for the final spot in the money in the bank and in this match we had kozlov or the moscow jobber lose to one move from kofi. just great.

Next. It could only get better and yes it did as we got a good but not great promo from legacy which showed that that it could actually be everyone for themselves at mania. Then we had the advertised 2 on 3 handicap match which was good and went on long enough (hoped for more but ok) although I didn't like how sheamus beat orton with the bicycle kick which isn't his primary finisher, but a good match nonetheless and I love that orton is still an enraged psychopath in the ring and getting cheered for it.

After that Hart cut a promo which wasn't bad but was made great by Mr.Mcmahon's devil voice saying at mania you're screwed which I am sure got everybody thinking.

Then we had michaels vs kane which was good and had a great ending involving The Undertaker.

Then a funny segment that saved pete rose's night and gave christian some tv time. And another funny segment including the divas for all the wrong reasons.(it was too damn short)
That's what she said hahahahaha.

Sorry again, finally we had another great batista promo which made me love him even more but RoboCena had to enter the ring and give a speech then have a brawl. Well it did it's job which is to hype there match at mania.

Good show overall and a great way to get into wrestlemania.
I give this show a solid B+

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I thought Raw was another really good show last night. Nothing major happened in terms of storylines, but it was just a good final push and hype for WrestleMania. However, the show drew the lowest numbers its had in quite a while. The final Raw before WrestleMania drew a 3.24, which will be rounded to a 3.2 with a total of about 4.5 million viewers. I was pretty surprised by just how low the number was, though I'm not really all that surprised that the show didn't draw big. The last Raw before the Elimination Chamber ppv only drew a 3.4 I think but the Raw after the ppv drew back in the 3.6 range.

 

[People's Champ]

I was at the Raw show in SJ and have to say first off that I thought we were the hottest crowd for a Raw show in a while. Orton got major cheers when HHH tagged him in. When Hart was shown to be coming up next, during comercial break the crowd started chanting "we want bret" and when he came out he got a huge pop. The biggest pop had to go to Cena. The Shark Tank errupted for Cena, and even after the show ended he still continued to get pops. The biggest heat by far had to go to Batista. Which leads me to my review.

Batista continues to amaze me. His promos are the best in this current program and I think this last promo may have been his best, in terms of crowd reaction. It was hard to hear a lot of what he said because the heat was getting loud. I did hear his fat people comment and couldn't contain myself from laughing hard at that. But I think he has done a perfect job of making you want to cheer Cena on as much as you may not like him. Hell, Cena was booed more last time they were here than this last Monday.

That MITB qualifying match was obviously going to be a filler. But hell didn't really matter. Better than seeing hornsowggle.

HBK got a huge pop and again another great promo for this Sunday's match. The swag that he has going into this match makes one wonder what is really going to happen. His match with Kane was good. I knew when he was getting ready to hit SCM that 'Taker would come out. And he got a huge pop as well. I was happy with the ending of the match. It seemed as if 'Taker had regained the upperhand but it was not to be. I'm really pumped for this match, as I think we will see another classic.

The 3 on 2 handicap match was good. Didn't like how Orton was finished off with that bicycle kick, but nonetheless a good match. I agree with the poster earlier on how Orton continues to have that crazy personality and is getting pops. The promo by legacy was decent. I think they are the future and more mic time will help. The match with them and Orton, and the Shemas v HHH match are going to be good.

The Miz-Morrison match was great. I thought there was good action and shows these guys as ready for a great match at WM. I know people don't like these teams because of being seen as just thrown together, but I think they've done a good job of building this match up.

All in all a real solid Raw.

 

[The Doctor]

What's an "Impact"?

Seriously, this night's show was absolutely incredible. I have only been watching for a few years, but this was the BEST RAW I have seen. No question about it. Obviously, the Shawn sendoff was heartfelt and amazing, but there is one major thing that sent it through the roof for me:

They spent the whole night building up the young stars.

As X said in the LD, it truly felt like the beginning of a new era. The Hart Dynasty came out to attack the Big Show and Miz, starting what looks to be a great feud. Randy Orton officially turned face in a match with two of the biggest stars of the company and a hot prospect that looked great out there. Sheamus did one of the most heelish things possible and extended his feud with Triple H. Christian and Ted DiBiase had a great match, one that set up a possible DiBiase Jr. vs. DiBiase Sr. feud. Everyone on tonight's show looked strong.

Even the guest host segment was good. We got to see divas in a hot tub, and the part with Mark Henry made me legit laugh out loud.

Shawn's sendoff was a major tearjerker and an incredible moment. He spoke from the heart, and Triple H coming out at the end really caused me to break down.

I am completely happy with giving this RAW an A+. It was that good.

 

[Arkham Noir]

All I can muster after this show is that Shawn, to me, is the best of all time. I feel that we won't be seeing shawn wrestle again and that is just fine. More wrestlers need to learn when to walk away (hogan + flair). Arguably the greatest thing I've seen on Raw in years


God damn it Shawn is amazing.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Raw was a great show. I have to admit though if it was just a regular show with regular matches it would of been mediocre but that wasn't the case since it was the historic HBK send off and the night after WrestleMania. We really only had two matches with Christian vs. Ted and the main event with Cena/Orton vs. Batista/Swagger. The Hart Dynasty and Miz Show had a no contest brawl and the divas match lasted 20 seconds.

Luckily though tonight was about HBK and not the matches. The young guys looked great tonight with Sheamus gaining heat attacking Triple H and The Hart Dynasty actually getting a rub for once. Bret's match may have been forgettable last night, but he cut great genuine promo about his family and Shawn. I was surprised Show Miz came out but I'm glad they did. Miz gets better every week and is the true heel of Raw.

Triple H said some nice words about Shawn and Shawn delivered one of the most true heart felt speeches I've ever heard in WWE or wrestling. Even though the matches left a lot to be desired it didn't matter. What a great way for HBK to go out on top.

 

[bringitback]

One of the very best episodes of Raw I have seen in years. Great to see piper...seems ted jnr and ted snr could be starting something, had that expect the unexpected feel at the beginning with the Swagger/Cena segment.

Witnessed the begining of Orton becoming a bonified face and great to see a crowd energized behin somebody. Havent seen a pop like that for anybody in a match on Raw for a long long time...which has been sorely missed on wwe tv. Sheamus impressed the hell out of me at WM and I actually am looking forward to him and trips continuing their feud.

Very good segment with the miz following a classy showing from Bret and FINALLY seeing the dynasty getting a rub felt like somebody had finally slapped creative upside the head and told them what the fans WANT to see.

And HBK...well, really dont think i need to say anything there.

Granted, the guest host hot tub segments were ridiculous and more than a little disturbing when Mark Henry came in... but all in all, I really enjoyed Raw tonight and for the first time in a LONG time I find myself actually looking forward to Raw next week.

 

[whatalife1683]

This was an excellent Raw IMO. The send off for Michaels was very heartfelt. This is what made Raw so special tonight. His speech was excellent and to the point. I enjoyed the build up of the young stars. I think the Hart Dynasty might be relevant once in their careers. The miz is great, and the Big Show plays a great Monster. Swagger showed what he can become, and he can get better over time. If he is always placed on Raw or even Smackdown as a focal point, then his stock will rise throughout the year. Orton was full fledge face tonight, and the crowd ate up him and Cena teaming. Christian will feature, and a storyline for Ted Jr. looks like it is in place with his father. I think they were just missing Kofi tonight, but he deserved a break from last night.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

My favourite moment was when the Show-Miz came out and the Miz was all annoyed at Bret. At first I was like what can hisdeal with Bret be but I knew this was gonna be the start of a program between Show-Miz and the Hart Dynasty. But whn the Miz was like you've been stealing my time I just loved it. Can't wait to see how this feud builds up, gonna be very interesting.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Raw was simply fantastic last night. The night was spent building young stars, kicking off new feuds and new directions for some wrestlers, continuing and building the Triple H/Sheamus feud and saying goodbye to arguably the best overall pro wrestler of the past 30 years.

I was slightly disappointed in the overall match content, but last night was about the fallout of WrestleMania, a couple of fresh starts for some young stars, and the fact that it was HBK's final Raw.

It looks as though the WWE is finally going to do something with the Hart Dynasty. They came out looking great last night and I can buy into them quite easily as babyfaces. I hope Bret Hart does stick around and help them out because it'll only make the team stronger. The Miz, as usual, was great on the mic. His comment about only needing 17 more wins before tying the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania was classic. It was a legitimately funny line and it made The Miz look like an absolute tool.

It was nice seeing the legends that took part in the lumberjack match between Christian and Ted DiBiase. They had a solid match and I'm glad that the WWE is putting DiBiase on his own. Pushing his dad away was a nice moment too and a great way to build heat.

I was also impressed with Jack Swagger last night. For the first time in a long time, he seems like the guy that first came to Raw almost a year ago. When he first came out and jumped Cena and said he wanted to cash in his briefcase, I felt my guts clench because I just had a feeling that a great opportunity was about to be tossed away just so the fans could see John Cena hulk up and do his Superman routine. I was quite pleased with how things did turn out with that situation and it made Swagger look like a real opportunistic worm. The match between Cena and Orton & Batista and Swagger was also pretty fun to watch. It's amazing just how much Randy Orton has gotten over as a tweener. Fans are going nuts whenever this guy just seems to make any sort of move at all.

HBK's farewell address will probably be the single most emotional event on wrestling television this year. Everything he said came from the heart and it was easy to tell that from the beginning. I admit that I did tear up a little bit myself because, as with Ric Flair, I've watched Shawn Michaels wrestle almost my entire life. Literally, for as long as I can remember. The crowd also helped make the moment come off great. Fans of all ages were crying and some downright sobbing. The moment with the Undertaker coming out and just tipping his hat was just plain classy, that's all you can say about it. It was HBK's moment, Taker has always been a man of few words and that little show of respect resonated more than most long speeches could.

Overall, just an extremely memorable episode of Raw.

 

[HHHDiedForOurSins]

I don’t usually post here, but Raw was great last night. I watched for the HBK tribute, but the whole show was brilliant. One of the top 5 Raw episodes ever for my money. Everything was perfect (okay, maybe not the 10 second diva match).

The Cena-Batista opening promo was great, there’s still money to be made with those guys. The tease of Swagger cashing in MITB was also brilliant, hopefully they continue with this for a while.

Christian and DiBiase had a fun match. Good to see a lot of the legends out there.

HHH was cutting a damn good heartfelt promo and Sheamus interrupting it was perfect. He got amazing heat.

Nice promo from Bret and good to see such a huge pop for the Hart Dynasty making the save. About time they got a decent push in the tag division.

Good main event tag match. The crowd was hot all night, but they were on fire for Orton here. You can nitpick the logic of these guys teaming up, but him being the mystery partner here was an awesome moment and the crowd loved it. It looks like they have another huge main event babyface on their hands to go along with Cena, HHH & Taker.

As far as segments/promos go, Shawn’s farewell speech is now probably my favorite wrestling moment of all time. I’m glad they kept it simple and didn’t bring out 50 guys. It was about him, as it should have been.

I swear to God before Sunday the only time a tear ever came to my eye for anything wrestling related was the Eddie Guerrero tribute. But somehow, they managed to get me choked up 4 goddam times within 24 hours. The ending of the Taker-HBK match and the aftermath. HHH’s promo on Raw when he started to get choked up. Bret pulling back his jacket to reveal that shirt and the huge “Owen” chant that broke out. And the final Shawn segment, especially the ending when HHH came out on the stage with him.

So yeah, great show. Last nights Raw (and WM) really reminded me why I’m a wrestling fan.

It's gonna be strange when it comes to the big PPV's now and Shawn's not around to put on the match of the night more often than not. He really is one of the greatest of all time, and my personal all time favorite. It's nice to see him go out on his own terms though (I truly believe he won't wrestle another match), the guy has earned it.