Good episode of Smackdown this week. I had the Swagger title win spoiled for me days ago by some shitty posters, but it was still fun to see happen. The title win was handled better than I expected but he almost ruined it when he got on the mic and his lisp almost went into fuckin' overdrive mode, shit got REAL bad in that promo with all of the S sounds he had to make. As long as he stays away from words with an S and can control his lisp on the mic, he'll be an adequate champion.
I really dug the Cryme Tyme breakup, that came out of left field and I'm glad it did because Cryme Tyme had grown stale for a long time now, hopefully this is leading to a good Shad vs. JTG feud (obviously) where we can see if Shad or JTG have what it takes to excel as singles stars. I've definitely got my eye on JTG, he could blossom into something very good, you never know.
Beth Phoenix continues to be the best female wrestler the WWE employs. It'd be great to see her with an actual title belt, but honestly she's so good lately I've begun to think that maybe the WWE should take a risk and make the leap and try to give her the same kind of push they gave to Chyna in 1999. I mean, Smackdown was taped so it certainly could have had crowd pops edited into the show, but Beth Phoenix got one of the best reactions of the show, and if she can actually get over like that and maintain that level of being over, shit, maybe she can eventually get that Chyna push and dabble around in the male midcard scene on Smackdown, I'd quite like that honestly.
Definitely pumped up for Jericho vs. Edge next week on Smackdown, that's going to be a great damn match. A great show tonight, one that planted seeds for alot of building storylines to come, crowned a new champion, and in general just continued to lay down the foundation for the future of the WWE.
I don't know what has gotten into the WWE booking committee lately, but they need to continue doing it. Have they FINALLY realized that it's time to take risks and push the young people and others? You can't have reward without a little risk, and it looks like the WWE finally realizes that. Great episode of Smackdown that has me excited as fuck to watch Raw this week. What a great week of wrestling all around this has been for the WWE.
A show for sure. The only thing missing was a good solid technical wrestling match, but we're getting that next week with Jericho and Edge so I can't complain.
I really dug the Cryme Tyme breakup, that came out of left field and I'm glad it did because Cryme Tyme had grown stale for a long time now, hopefully this is leading to a good Shad vs. JTG feud (obviously) where we can see if Shad or JTG have what it takes to excel as singles stars. I've definitely got my eye on JTG, he could blossom into something very good, you never know.
Beth Phoenix continues to be the best female wrestler the WWE employs. It'd be great to see her with an actual title belt, but honestly she's so good lately I've begun to think that maybe the WWE should take a risk and make the leap and try to give her the same kind of push they gave to Chyna in 1999. I mean, Smackdown was taped so it certainly could have had crowd pops edited into the show, but Beth Phoenix got one of the best reactions of the show, and if she can actually get over like that and maintain that level of being over, shit, maybe she can eventually get that Chyna push and dabble around in the male midcard scene on Smackdown, I'd quite like that honestly.
Definitely pumped up for Jericho vs. Edge next week on Smackdown, that's going to be a great damn match. A great show tonight, one that planted seeds for alot of building storylines to come, crowned a new champion, and in general just continued to lay down the foundation for the future of the WWE.
I don't know what has gotten into the WWE booking committee lately, but they need to continue doing it. Have they FINALLY realized that it's time to take risks and push the young people and others? You can't have reward without a little risk, and it looks like the WWE finally realizes that. Great episode of Smackdown that has me excited as fuck to watch Raw this week. What a great week of wrestling all around this has been for the WWE.
A show for sure. The only thing missing was a good solid technical wrestling match, but we're getting that next week with Jericho and Edge so I can't complain.
Disappointing show IMO...I tuned in and watched the whole thing because I've always been a HBK mark.
I liked the little video snippets of carreer highlights at every ad break. I was enjoying HHH's little speech until that white thing interrupted, it felt very real and it was full of emotion, nice wee touch with the nod to Nash, Hall and Waltman...shame it had to be ruined. Some nice words from the Hitman and HBK's speech at the end, while it was OK, I dunno, I expected a bit better send-off for the Showstopper. I was surprised we didn't see Vince...I was actually looking forward to hearing Vince give an emotion filled thank you to Mr Wrestlemania..but it didn't happen. For the HBK segments...a 5.5/10. I do hope he doesn't come back...I think he will though...a one off next Wrestlemania against HHH!!
As for the rest of the show...WTF!!!
I didn't have a stop watch but I did casually time the amount of wrestling time...approx 15mins...add in the 15 or so minutes of HBK and that leaves an hour and a half ( minus ad's) of bullshit...WTF...that is disgusting...I'm sorry, I really don't know how people can watch this week in and week out...it will have to be something super special to get me to watch Raw again. .5/10
I liked the little video snippets of carreer highlights at every ad break. I was enjoying HHH's little speech until that white thing interrupted, it felt very real and it was full of emotion, nice wee touch with the nod to Nash, Hall and Waltman...shame it had to be ruined. Some nice words from the Hitman and HBK's speech at the end, while it was OK, I dunno, I expected a bit better send-off for the Showstopper. I was surprised we didn't see Vince...I was actually looking forward to hearing Vince give an emotion filled thank you to Mr Wrestlemania..but it didn't happen. For the HBK segments...a 5.5/10. I do hope he doesn't come back...I think he will though...a one off next Wrestlemania against HHH!!
As for the rest of the show...WTF!!!
I didn't have a stop watch but I did casually time the amount of wrestling time...approx 15mins...add in the 15 or so minutes of HBK and that leaves an hour and a half ( minus ad's) of bullshit...WTF...that is disgusting...I'm sorry, I really don't know how people can watch this week in and week out...it will have to be something super special to get me to watch Raw again. .5/10
Very good episode of Smackdown tonight. Jack Swagger's MITB cash in was an awesome moment. I've been a fan of his for a while, and I'm happy to see him get "the push". I don't think Swagger will hang on to the belt for to long, but it's always nice to see the world title picture have a shake up every now and then.
I'm totally excited about the Mysterio/Punk feud continuing. They had a very good match at Wrestlemania, and I'm looking forward to this going further. CM Punk is doing an awesome job as Smackdown's #1 heel.
The Crume Tyme break up was a complete shock to me. I thought this was one of those tag teams that would continue to go on for a long time, but it's over. I don't know if Shad and JTG will last too long in WWE because I don't think they will be able to get over on their own. Shad can become the menacing big man heel, but I don't know what the future holds for JTG.
I'm still waiting for the McCool Vs Phoenix match for the Women's championship. It's great Beth is a face now because she was kind of growing stale as a heel. She's over with the crowd, and I can't wait to see The Glamazon get her title shot.
Edge VS Jericho next week should be awesome. I'm kind of disappointed this is happening on free TV because I wanted to see them feud over the World Heavyweight Championship a little bit longer. I loved their match at Wrestlemania, and I'm looking forward to seeing this match next week.
I'm totally excited about the Mysterio/Punk feud continuing. They had a very good match at Wrestlemania, and I'm looking forward to this going further. CM Punk is doing an awesome job as Smackdown's #1 heel.
The Crume Tyme break up was a complete shock to me. I thought this was one of those tag teams that would continue to go on for a long time, but it's over. I don't know if Shad and JTG will last too long in WWE because I don't think they will be able to get over on their own. Shad can become the menacing big man heel, but I don't know what the future holds for JTG.
I'm still waiting for the McCool Vs Phoenix match for the Women's championship. It's great Beth is a face now because she was kind of growing stale as a heel. She's over with the crowd, and I can't wait to see The Glamazon get her title shot.
Edge VS Jericho next week should be awesome. I'm kind of disappointed this is happening on free TV because I wanted to see them feud over the World Heavyweight Championship a little bit longer. I loved their match at Wrestlemania, and I'm looking forward to seeing this match next week.
The footy fanatic
Dark Match Jobber
Yeah I really enjoyed this week's smackdown, the best in a couple of months.
I'm not a big fan of Cryme tyme as neither of them have a great move set and like others have mentioned are a bit stale. Shad Gaspard should be a good heel though and I'd like to see him in a few mid-card feuds with say R-truth or Kane and WWE could see where it goes from there.
I personally wanted Dolph Ziggler or Kofi to win Money in the bank but Swagger was probably my third choice. I'm glad he's stayed heel as champ and can't wait for Edge vs Jericho next week. Does anybody know when the winner of that match will get the title shot as I'm going to see the Smackdown tapings the week after.
I'm not a big fan of Cryme tyme as neither of them have a great move set and like others have mentioned are a bit stale. Shad Gaspard should be a good heel though and I'd like to see him in a few mid-card feuds with say R-truth or Kane and WWE could see where it goes from there.
I personally wanted Dolph Ziggler or Kofi to win Money in the bank but Swagger was probably my third choice. I'm glad he's stayed heel as champ and can't wait for Edge vs Jericho next week. Does anybody know when the winner of that match will get the title shot as I'm going to see the Smackdown tapings the week after.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I have to say that last night was the overall worst episode of Smackdown! I've seen in quite a while. Most of the matches were so short that I was beginning to wonder if Vince Russo had gone back to work for the WWE. With the exception of Swagger winning the title and solid mic work from Edge and Jericho, last night's Smackdown! was a waste.
Match quality of last night's show reminded me of iMPACT! several weeks ago in which only two matches on the card lasted longer than the two minute mark. That's exactly what happened here. A Divas match made it to around 4 minutes and the Elimination match made it to around 8 and it ended on a mass disqualification. Overall, just a very shitty Smackdown filled with lazily booked matches.
Match quality of last night's show reminded me of iMPACT! several weeks ago in which only two matches on the card lasted longer than the two minute mark. That's exactly what happened here. A Divas match made it to around 4 minutes and the Elimination match made it to around 8 and it ended on a mass disqualification. Overall, just a very shitty Smackdown filled with lazily booked matches.
Pretty good episode of Raw tonight, though not as good as last week's or this past Friday's edition of Smackdown. Glad to see they're atleast going all the way in this Jack Swagger push, even if I do think it's too early to put the belt on him. Kind of odd that he'd lose clean to Randy Orton, but it makes sense considering he really hasn't beaten that many people outside of Jericho over the past few months.
The best part of tonight's show had to be the Sheamus-Triple H interaction after Sheamus went clean over Kofi (which is just the kind of upper-midcard victory he was in dire need of), Sheamus is developing into a fantastic heel these past few weeks and probably has the most heat of any heel in the WWE since Wrestlemania. Triple H coming up with the sledgehammer and almost sword-fighting Sheamus was pretty cool, but the best part was Sheamus pulling the classic heel move of turning and running away, watching him scramble over the barricade and deep into the crowd to get away from Triple H was the perfect cowardly heel act and the crowd ate it up like candy, popping like crazy for Hunter and giving Sheamus great heat. Absolutely perfect segment to continue this intriguing feud.
I must say though I was disappointed not to see the Hart Dynasty or Bret Hart on Raw tonight, hopefully they'll be on Smackdown or atleast next week's edition of Raw to challenge ShowMiz for the tag titles at Extreme Rules, maybe even in a gimmick match. I'd REALLY like to see that, the WWE desperately needs a good tag team feud that isn't comprised of thrown-together main eventers.
I also really liked David Otunga turning on Cena at the end of the night, went perfectly with his cocky character and it got him some very good heat from the live crowd, which is definitely going to help him going forward. I see bright things in the future for he and Danielson in NXT, so long as Otunga can continue to develop and improve inside the ring.
And to top it off we get confirmation of a Batista-Cena rematch at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing match, which was exactly the scenario I was hoping would play out after Wrestlemania. Those two should have another solid match no doubt later this month, and given the gimmick it's possible these two could have their best match to date.
Overall, very good episode of Raw, but just a minor step down from last week's stellar show.
The best part of tonight's show had to be the Sheamus-Triple H interaction after Sheamus went clean over Kofi (which is just the kind of upper-midcard victory he was in dire need of), Sheamus is developing into a fantastic heel these past few weeks and probably has the most heat of any heel in the WWE since Wrestlemania. Triple H coming up with the sledgehammer and almost sword-fighting Sheamus was pretty cool, but the best part was Sheamus pulling the classic heel move of turning and running away, watching him scramble over the barricade and deep into the crowd to get away from Triple H was the perfect cowardly heel act and the crowd ate it up like candy, popping like crazy for Hunter and giving Sheamus great heat. Absolutely perfect segment to continue this intriguing feud.
I must say though I was disappointed not to see the Hart Dynasty or Bret Hart on Raw tonight, hopefully they'll be on Smackdown or atleast next week's edition of Raw to challenge ShowMiz for the tag titles at Extreme Rules, maybe even in a gimmick match. I'd REALLY like to see that, the WWE desperately needs a good tag team feud that isn't comprised of thrown-together main eventers.
I also really liked David Otunga turning on Cena at the end of the night, went perfectly with his cocky character and it got him some very good heat from the live crowd, which is definitely going to help him going forward. I see bright things in the future for he and Danielson in NXT, so long as Otunga can continue to develop and improve inside the ring.
And to top it off we get confirmation of a Batista-Cena rematch at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing match, which was exactly the scenario I was hoping would play out after Wrestlemania. Those two should have another solid match no doubt later this month, and given the gimmick it's possible these two could have their best match to date.
Overall, very good episode of Raw, but just a minor step down from last week's stellar show.
Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
It was great seeing the new World Heavyweight Champion shine tonight. It does suck that Swagger won't be able to face Orton again and avenge his loss since he is on Smackdown. Maybe one of them will get drafted but I doubt it. Otunga did a decent job of hosting and playing as heel to Cena. Every time I look at him though I see the loser from I Love New York. Maybe that will wear off in time.
MizShow continues to impress, but it would be nice to have an actual tag team challenge them for once. The divas battle royal was another throw away match that no really cared about. At least we got to see Maryse who didn't do a bad job on commentating. She actually had more amusing things to say then anything King or Cole did. The best segment for me besides the Swagger/Orton match was the interaction between Triple H and Sheamus. They had a pretty intense fight that left us with wanting more.
I enjoyed seeing Dibiase with the Million Dollar belt and defeating Christian. As long as they don't turn him into the Ringmaster we will be okay. The only thing that was totally predictable was Batista challenging Cena for the title in a Last Man Standing match. Doesn't WWE have any other matches these guys can fight in besides a last man standing match? I couldn't even count how many last man standing matches Cena has been in. Of course this week's episode couldn't measure up to Shawn's retirement, but I thought this week had better matches then last week.
MizShow continues to impress, but it would be nice to have an actual tag team challenge them for once. The divas battle royal was another throw away match that no really cared about. At least we got to see Maryse who didn't do a bad job on commentating. She actually had more amusing things to say then anything King or Cole did. The best segment for me besides the Swagger/Orton match was the interaction between Triple H and Sheamus. They had a pretty intense fight that left us with wanting more.
I enjoyed seeing Dibiase with the Million Dollar belt and defeating Christian. As long as they don't turn him into the Ringmaster we will be okay. The only thing that was totally predictable was Batista challenging Cena for the title in a Last Man Standing match. Doesn't WWE have any other matches these guys can fight in besides a last man standing match? I couldn't even count how many last man standing matches Cena has been in. Of course this week's episode couldn't measure up to Shawn's retirement, but I thought this week had better matches then last week.
The footy fanatic
Dark Match Jobber
I'd say this week's Raw was pretty impressive. The opening segment with Swagger, Cena, Showmiz, Orton and Otunga was good with everyone looking comfortable on the mic.
The Kofi vs Sheamus match was good but would have liked to have seen Kofi hit some more moves. HHH's attack on sheamus afterwards was good and I would'nt be surprised if at Extreme rules they face off in some kind of pipe vs sledgehammer match. The Christian vs Dibiase match was better than last week's IMO I just don't want Dibiase to get stuck in a gimmick.
Swagger vs Orton was very exciting and had me guessing all match as to who was going to win. Otunga and Cena vs Showmiz was also good but I half expected the ending. Overall an exciting and intriguing show and I''ll be looking forward to Batista vs Cena at Extreme rules.
The Kofi vs Sheamus match was good but would have liked to have seen Kofi hit some more moves. HHH's attack on sheamus afterwards was good and I would'nt be surprised if at Extreme rules they face off in some kind of pipe vs sledgehammer match. The Christian vs Dibiase match was better than last week's IMO I just don't want Dibiase to get stuck in a gimmick.
Swagger vs Orton was very exciting and had me guessing all match as to who was going to win. Otunga and Cena vs Showmiz was also good but I half expected the ending. Overall an exciting and intriguing show and I''ll be looking forward to Batista vs Cena at Extreme rules.
I thought this was the best Raw I've seen in a while. Multiple storylines weaved together and were pushed further into development.
Orton vs Swagger was the beginning of a feud and with Orton winning, a prelude to him being drafted to Smackdown in 3 weeks and beginning his title reign there imo. I was pretty sure Orton would be headed for SD, now it's all but a certainty.
I felt Sheamus, after brutally demolishing Kofi, and then running away through the crowd after HHH came at him, drew the most heat he ever has and positioned himself perfectly for a match vs HHH at ER.
The exchange to begin Raw was a perfect way to involve Otunga quickly and actually set himself up as a fan favourite with the matches he set. When he came out after the 1st tag team dq, and announced himself a competitor later that night, you could hear the cheers in the crowd as he walked back with Cena. And during their match, watching his enthusiasm on tv was pretty cool, I think he was on his way as a fan favourite only to weasel his way out as Cena reached to tag him. He drew MAJOR heat from that, whereas before last night I think the crowd pretty much just ignored him on NXT. He's now guaranteed to be the biggest villain on that show, probably destroying his opponents until the very end when he faces off against Bryan Danielson.
I even think Cena is doing well to regain some cheers after being screwed twice last night. It's been a mixed bag of boos and cheers when he comes out, and this is just my opinion, but I think last night will go a long way to moving that mostly back to cheers. I haven't really liked Cena in the past but I have to admit I'm coming around... he just has a stand up attitude that is kind of infectious. Also, I could notice Swagger sweating to begin Raw and when Cena made fun of that, I thought it was gold improv on the mic!
And my most exciting part of the night was Ted DiBiase bringing out the Million $ Belt! I was hoping for that ever since his feud with Orton started coming full circle, I just felt he didn't have enough for Randy to get him over and the belt would be perfect for him. He even had the "everybody has a price" attitude when bringing up his trust fund.
All in all, I was super excited with this Raw and thought it did more to position multiple storylines further down the road than any Raw in (my) recent memory.
Orton vs Swagger was the beginning of a feud and with Orton winning, a prelude to him being drafted to Smackdown in 3 weeks and beginning his title reign there imo. I was pretty sure Orton would be headed for SD, now it's all but a certainty.
I felt Sheamus, after brutally demolishing Kofi, and then running away through the crowd after HHH came at him, drew the most heat he ever has and positioned himself perfectly for a match vs HHH at ER.
The exchange to begin Raw was a perfect way to involve Otunga quickly and actually set himself up as a fan favourite with the matches he set. When he came out after the 1st tag team dq, and announced himself a competitor later that night, you could hear the cheers in the crowd as he walked back with Cena. And during their match, watching his enthusiasm on tv was pretty cool, I think he was on his way as a fan favourite only to weasel his way out as Cena reached to tag him. He drew MAJOR heat from that, whereas before last night I think the crowd pretty much just ignored him on NXT. He's now guaranteed to be the biggest villain on that show, probably destroying his opponents until the very end when he faces off against Bryan Danielson.
I even think Cena is doing well to regain some cheers after being screwed twice last night. It's been a mixed bag of boos and cheers when he comes out, and this is just my opinion, but I think last night will go a long way to moving that mostly back to cheers. I haven't really liked Cena in the past but I have to admit I'm coming around... he just has a stand up attitude that is kind of infectious. Also, I could notice Swagger sweating to begin Raw and when Cena made fun of that, I thought it was gold improv on the mic!
And my most exciting part of the night was Ted DiBiase bringing out the Million $ Belt! I was hoping for that ever since his feud with Orton started coming full circle, I just felt he didn't have enough for Randy to get him over and the belt would be perfect for him. He even had the "everybody has a price" attitude when bringing up his trust fund.
All in all, I was super excited with this Raw and thought it did more to position multiple storylines further down the road than any Raw in (my) recent memory.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought it was another pretty great show last night. As with last week, the primary focus of Raw last night was pushing new talent and weaving the show primarily around them. David Otunga was a good guest host and received some great exposure last night. He also managed to generate some great heat for himself when he left Cena hanging in the tag match.
I was sort of impressed with Ted DiBiase last night, although I'm not completely sold. It was nice seeing the Million Dollar Championship out there and I think there's some real potential to grow. I thought he had a great match against Christian and DiBiase probably wound up looking stronger overall last night than he has at anytime he's been in the WWE.
The Sheamus/Triple H feud is building slowly but nicely. They're not rushing into things too much or trying to give too much away during any particular show. I expect things to heat up next week between the two.
Swagger looked strong in a very good match against Orton last night. I didn't really expect him to win last night, since that seems to be a commonality between superstars that cut a promo dissing Raw just before they head to SmackDown. The WWE is playing Swagger as a young, vulnerable champion that's limited by his inexperience and it's going well thus far. I'm not completely sold on it yet, but I was impressed overall by Swagger last night.
As I said, I thought Raw was a really good, quality show last night. It's not quite as good as last week's, though I didn't really expect it to be since little if anything could live up to sheer emotion generated by HBK's last night on Raw. I expect the NCAA Championship game might have taken a chunk of Raw's ratings last night because it's being reported that the game drew roughly 19 million viewers. But, Raw was still a good, quality show just the same.
I was sort of impressed with Ted DiBiase last night, although I'm not completely sold. It was nice seeing the Million Dollar Championship out there and I think there's some real potential to grow. I thought he had a great match against Christian and DiBiase probably wound up looking stronger overall last night than he has at anytime he's been in the WWE.
The Sheamus/Triple H feud is building slowly but nicely. They're not rushing into things too much or trying to give too much away during any particular show. I expect things to heat up next week between the two.
Swagger looked strong in a very good match against Orton last night. I didn't really expect him to win last night, since that seems to be a commonality between superstars that cut a promo dissing Raw just before they head to SmackDown. The WWE is playing Swagger as a young, vulnerable champion that's limited by his inexperience and it's going well thus far. I'm not completely sold on it yet, but I was impressed overall by Swagger last night.
As I said, I thought Raw was a really good, quality show last night. It's not quite as good as last week's, though I didn't really expect it to be since little if anything could live up to sheer emotion generated by HBK's last night on Raw. I expect the NCAA Championship game might have taken a chunk of Raw's ratings last night because it's being reported that the game drew roughly 19 million viewers. But, Raw was still a good, quality show just the same.
Marko Markovic
Undisputed world champion
Its time for things we learn on last night RAW
1.Kofi has become jobber(Its not a bad thing though,Swagger was a jobber in like february and look at him now)
2.Sheamus raises good heat and he uses a pipe as his foreign object(he is Irish after all
)
3.ShoMiz are always champions no mather who their opponents are
4.Ted DiBiase has a push in his singles career lately(hence "the million dollar belt" and win against Christian that made him look very good)
5.Orton is officialy a tweener and has a major push because he beat WHW champion and he even didnt needed the win
6.Swagger is going to Smackdown and even though he is champion he doesnt need to beat anybody and he just has to look good in term of his in-ring ability
7.All the divas on RAW roster are crap and Eve is next in line for title match(as we saw in previous weeks and yesterday)
8.When guest host schedules a match with John Cena and is for any title you know for sure that Cena is going to be screwed in some way
9.Batista is best heel on RAW and he is not even part of RAW roster
10.David Otunga was decent but nothing special as a guest host
11.Guest host thing is crap and needs to end(oh wait,we learn that on previous RAWs)
Show was very good(they suprised me in the high quality of the matches(except offcourse Divas and Cena matches) and enterteining to me but it could be better in terms of guest hosts and their part to the show
1.Kofi has become jobber(Its not a bad thing though,Swagger was a jobber in like february and look at him now)
2.Sheamus raises good heat and he uses a pipe as his foreign object(he is Irish after all
)3.ShoMiz are always champions no mather who their opponents are
4.Ted DiBiase has a push in his singles career lately(hence "the million dollar belt" and win against Christian that made him look very good)
5.Orton is officialy a tweener and has a major push because he beat WHW champion and he even didnt needed the win
6.Swagger is going to Smackdown and even though he is champion he doesnt need to beat anybody and he just has to look good in term of his in-ring ability
7.All the divas on RAW roster are crap and Eve is next in line for title match(as we saw in previous weeks and yesterday)
8.When guest host schedules a match with John Cena and is for any title you know for sure that Cena is going to be screwed in some way
9.Batista is best heel on RAW and he is not even part of RAW roster
10.David Otunga was decent but nothing special as a guest host
11.Guest host thing is crap and needs to end(oh wait,we learn that on previous RAWs)
Show was very good(they suprised me in the high quality of the matches(except offcourse Divas and Cena matches) and enterteining to me but it could be better in terms of guest hosts and their part to the show
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
The early numbers for last night are out and Raw did have a pretty rough night overall. The earliest reports right now are saying that Raw drew a 3.2 Nielsen Rating. Not a stellar number, but it was predicted even last week that the NCAA Championship game would probably take a bite out of Raw's numbers as the two were going head to head. Last night's NCAA Championship game between Duke and Butler is said to have taken about 19 million viewers.
Tonight was my first time watching a full WWE program since Flair retired, and I must say, I'm happy with Smackdown. Something I can't say about RAW. I've watched bits and pieces of RAW, and I don't like that product.
Anyways, I was really impressed with Smackdown tonight. I don't know if it was the best Smackdown show lately, but I liked it.
I wish Dolph Ziggler would've had a match though. That would've been an amazing night of Smackdown for me.
Also, I'm not too happy the way the main event ended. No contest? That's garbage. Then again, I guess that opens up the possibility of a Triple Threat Match at Extreme Rules between Chris Jericho .vs. Edge .vs. Jack Swagger.
Anyways, I was really impressed with Smackdown tonight. I don't know if it was the best Smackdown show lately, but I liked it.
I wish Dolph Ziggler would've had a match though. That would've been an amazing night of Smackdown for me.
Also, I'm not too happy the way the main event ended. No contest? That's garbage. Then again, I guess that opens up the possibility of a Triple Threat Match at Extreme Rules between Chris Jericho .vs. Edge .vs. Jack Swagger.
Wow, tonight's episode of Smackdown was fan-fucking-tastic from start to finish, and reminded me of how good the show had previously been last year in the summer in the height of the Punk-Hardy feud. Solid wrestling from start to finish on the show featuring most of Smackdown's established stars, all capped off by another great match between Chris Jericho and Edge, which I just finished watching. Man, what a great main event this week, I'd probably rate it just a tiny notch below their Wrestlemania match, but nevertheless it was great from start to finish and even the double-countout ending didn't really hurt it because of how great of a finish the match had with both men brawling all over the arena and back into the ring. This feud just got a whole lot more interesting all of a sudden, and I'm digging the fact that they were both counted out because hopefully it'll mean a triple threat match at Extreme Rules between Swagger, Jericho, and Edge.
Speaking of Swagger, he looked much more comfortable on camera and with the belt tonight than he did last week, and I'm glad that he decided to be more of the quiet, stoic type instead of trying to cut a long promo and nervously fumbling over some words because of his speech impediment. He looked much better all around though this week and for the first time he looked good with the belt. He had a big win over John Morrison in another solid match, going over him clean in just the kind of upper-midcard victory that Swagger needs right now to try and build him up as a credible champion and not a total transitional one. I'm glad to see JoMo wrestling with the world champion atleast, has to mean bright things for his future.
Loved seeing the Dudebuster (Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft) get some mic time, they had a great match with the Hart Dynasty last week on Superstars and I really enjoyed their promo tonight, had me legitimately laughing out loud. Baretta has simply awesome comedic timing and delivery. I also loved seeing the Hart Dynasty kind of squash them, simply because I'm hoping that they're leading to the Hart Dynasty defeating MizShow for the tag team titles sometime in the next few weeks, and they needed to look dominant against a newcoming team of rookies like the Dudebusters.
CM Punk cut another great promo, though I could just say that every single week Smackdown is on. He got GREAT heat in his hometown of Chicago and his segment was great, actually leading people to even cheer for someone as faceless and bland as Darren Young, who we admittedly still don't know very well. Seriously though, that fuckin' hair needs to GO, shit is terrible. He simply cannot be taken seriously with that haircut.
Overall just a great episode of Smackdown tonight featuring great wrestling, great promos, great segments, all of which advanced storylines, you pretty much got everything you could ask for from a wrestling show on free TV and th an some. Great episode, A+ all the way from me. WWE has been on a roll lately.
Speaking of Swagger, he looked much more comfortable on camera and with the belt tonight than he did last week, and I'm glad that he decided to be more of the quiet, stoic type instead of trying to cut a long promo and nervously fumbling over some words because of his speech impediment. He looked much better all around though this week and for the first time he looked good with the belt. He had a big win over John Morrison in another solid match, going over him clean in just the kind of upper-midcard victory that Swagger needs right now to try and build him up as a credible champion and not a total transitional one. I'm glad to see JoMo wrestling with the world champion atleast, has to mean bright things for his future.
Loved seeing the Dudebuster (Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft) get some mic time, they had a great match with the Hart Dynasty last week on Superstars and I really enjoyed their promo tonight, had me legitimately laughing out loud. Baretta has simply awesome comedic timing and delivery. I also loved seeing the Hart Dynasty kind of squash them, simply because I'm hoping that they're leading to the Hart Dynasty defeating MizShow for the tag team titles sometime in the next few weeks, and they needed to look dominant against a newcoming team of rookies like the Dudebusters.
CM Punk cut another great promo, though I could just say that every single week Smackdown is on. He got GREAT heat in his hometown of Chicago and his segment was great, actually leading people to even cheer for someone as faceless and bland as Darren Young, who we admittedly still don't know very well. Seriously though, that fuckin' hair needs to GO, shit is terrible. He simply cannot be taken seriously with that haircut.
Overall just a great episode of Smackdown tonight featuring great wrestling, great promos, great segments, all of which advanced storylines, you pretty much got everything you could ask for from a wrestling show on free TV and th an some. Great episode, A+ all the way from me. WWE has been on a roll lately.
I really have to agree a lot, and I mean a lot with you there X, it was an overall strong show, putting Jack Swagger out there properly seeing to the background of John Morrison as a kind of "champion builder" so to say because he's a upper mid-card challenge and he wrestled both CM Punk and Jeff Hardy during their first world heavyweight championship reigns (not counting Jeff's 5 minute reign) so having Jack fight him did wonders for him, and I must admit I completely marked out for the quick run he did from being on the mat to throwing John Morrison off the top turnbuckle.. Swangle here we come.
And I like how their handling the SES seeing how they all 3 get some proper mic work, building the "disciples" up to a good level of heat and promo skills, and as we've seen with his matches with Rey Mysterio, Luke is doing absolutely great since his gimmick turn.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how the whole "no Cryme Tyme, but my time" thing with Shad and JGT is gonna turn out, I see big things for this feud eventually.
And for a little entertainment factor, I had myself chuckling at Jericho's backstage promo with Barrett and Swagger, another episode that really shows how great Jericho is, and promotes NXT somewhat firmly.
And I think you covered the Jericho vs Edge match very good, so I don't need to jump into that.
I'm feeling like giving the episode an B+ or A, but I simply can't put my finger on anything that shouldn't allow it to get an A+, so that's what it's gonna be.
And I like how their handling the SES seeing how they all 3 get some proper mic work, building the "disciples" up to a good level of heat and promo skills, and as we've seen with his matches with Rey Mysterio, Luke is doing absolutely great since his gimmick turn.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how the whole "no Cryme Tyme, but my time" thing with Shad and JGT is gonna turn out, I see big things for this feud eventually.
And for a little entertainment factor, I had myself chuckling at Jericho's backstage promo with Barrett and Swagger, another episode that really shows how great Jericho is, and promotes NXT somewhat firmly.
And I think you covered the Jericho vs Edge match very good, so I don't need to jump into that.
I'm feeling like giving the episode an B+ or A, but I simply can't put my finger on anything that shouldn't allow it to get an A+, so that's what it's gonna be.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
This week's Smackdown was light years ahead of the show they put on last week. It was as great this week as last week's was terrible, so the WWE made a great recovery. As Raw has been for the past couple of weeks, Smackdown was all about showcasing young talent and keeping the focus placed primarily on that young talent.
After this week's Smackdown, I've started to take Jack Swagger seriously. His work on the mic was pretty good, he seemed calm and confident during his promos and he came off looking strong in a very good match against John Morrison. Swagger needed the win to maintain credibility as champ. His back and forth promo with Morrison was also good. The lisp jokes were expected but they're going to lose steam fast if Swagger continues to grow. The little backstage encounters with both Edge and Jericho also came off well. Swagger was pretty visible on the show and, with him being the World Heavyweight Champion, that's just how it should be.
The match with Matt Hardy and Drew McIntyre was also a good one. It's another example of a young wrestler, one that's been floundering a bit lately, getting a needed win over a popular and beloved star. I also noticed during the match that McIntyre is finally generating some pretty decent heat and that the crowd gives a damn about his matches and him generally just making an appearance. He and Hardy had a really good back and forth match, even though this feud isn't going to be some sort of epic. It's still done some good in helping McIntyre regain some lost momentum and actually generate some reaction from the fans.
The tag team match between the Hart Dynasty and the Dudebusters..lol the Dudebusters, wasn't all that much. It was a quick 4 minute or so match, but it was still kind of entertaining. If the WWE's intention is to have Beretta and Croft come across as the biggest tools imaginable, then mission accomplished. They remind me a lot of the Motor City Machine Guns during their heel run. I think that they could be an exciting addition to the WWE tag team scene.
The #1 contender match between Edge and Jericho was great, just a really good back and forth 20 minute match. Even though it ended in a double countout, this works out well because I expect a triple threat match between these two and Swagger at Extreme Rules. These two can definitely help build Swagger into a very credible world champion. If Swagger walks out of the ppv with the title against these two, I think he could have a pretty good run as champion. Even if Swagger loses, I don't expect he'll be pinned and he'll keep credibility and still be viewed as a strong challenger.
The segment with the Straight Edge Society was another good one. As usual, Punk was gold on the mic and Gallows and Sarena were pretty decent overall. They provided a good backdrop for Punk. This can also generate some more Pro/Rookie drama for NXT and I'm sure that Darren Young's refusal to join the SES has won him some fans in the audience.
Overall, just a really great show. In a lot of ways, I think the WWE has got its collective shit together in 2010. They've found a formula and it's been working for them this year.
After this week's Smackdown, I've started to take Jack Swagger seriously. His work on the mic was pretty good, he seemed calm and confident during his promos and he came off looking strong in a very good match against John Morrison. Swagger needed the win to maintain credibility as champ. His back and forth promo with Morrison was also good. The lisp jokes were expected but they're going to lose steam fast if Swagger continues to grow. The little backstage encounters with both Edge and Jericho also came off well. Swagger was pretty visible on the show and, with him being the World Heavyweight Champion, that's just how it should be.
The match with Matt Hardy and Drew McIntyre was also a good one. It's another example of a young wrestler, one that's been floundering a bit lately, getting a needed win over a popular and beloved star. I also noticed during the match that McIntyre is finally generating some pretty decent heat and that the crowd gives a damn about his matches and him generally just making an appearance. He and Hardy had a really good back and forth match, even though this feud isn't going to be some sort of epic. It's still done some good in helping McIntyre regain some lost momentum and actually generate some reaction from the fans.
The tag team match between the Hart Dynasty and the Dudebusters..lol the Dudebusters, wasn't all that much. It was a quick 4 minute or so match, but it was still kind of entertaining. If the WWE's intention is to have Beretta and Croft come across as the biggest tools imaginable, then mission accomplished. They remind me a lot of the Motor City Machine Guns during their heel run. I think that they could be an exciting addition to the WWE tag team scene.
The #1 contender match between Edge and Jericho was great, just a really good back and forth 20 minute match. Even though it ended in a double countout, this works out well because I expect a triple threat match between these two and Swagger at Extreme Rules. These two can definitely help build Swagger into a very credible world champion. If Swagger walks out of the ppv with the title against these two, I think he could have a pretty good run as champion. Even if Swagger loses, I don't expect he'll be pinned and he'll keep credibility and still be viewed as a strong challenger.
The segment with the Straight Edge Society was another good one. As usual, Punk was gold on the mic and Gallows and Sarena were pretty decent overall. They provided a good backdrop for Punk. This can also generate some more Pro/Rookie drama for NXT and I'm sure that Darren Young's refusal to join the SES has won him some fans in the audience.
Overall, just a really great show. In a lot of ways, I think the WWE has got its collective shit together in 2010. They've found a formula and it's been working for them this year.
Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
Wow this whole show was one awful David Hasselhoff love fest. I know "The Hof" was popular with his singing career in Germany and throughout Europe in the 80s and 90s but now? The man received a bigger reaction then Cena or Steve Austin. I doubt people in London are that crazy over a washed up D list celebrity.
The rest of the show was pretty dull and awful for me. I enjoyed the Miz on commentary bashing Bret Hart. I feel The Miz's promos are some of the only ones that aren't scripted in WWE. It is sad that the Hart Dynasty still can't get a push to save their life. I do understand it thought after hearing Harry on the mic and seeing him wrestle. Eve is the new Divas champion if any one cares. The divas became even more of a joke during the Baywatch babe match.
How long has Baywatch been off the air 10 years or more? It was a terrible show to begin with. I guess it wasn't too bad if you like mindless comedy with leprechauns acting as lifeguards. The main event was a letdown but really the only good thing about the show this week. I am interested in seeing Jack Swagger feud with Orton. It is still not enough for me to fork over $44.95 for Extreme Rules though.
I'm pretty sure the Magruber cast next week won't help Raw either. It will be interesting how the go home show will be next week because if next week's Raw is as uneventful as tonight's show then I think a lot of people will be tuning out.
The rest of the show was pretty dull and awful for me. I enjoyed the Miz on commentary bashing Bret Hart. I feel The Miz's promos are some of the only ones that aren't scripted in WWE. It is sad that the Hart Dynasty still can't get a push to save their life. I do understand it thought after hearing Harry on the mic and seeing him wrestle. Eve is the new Divas champion if any one cares. The divas became even more of a joke during the Baywatch babe match.
How long has Baywatch been off the air 10 years or more? It was a terrible show to begin with. I guess it wasn't too bad if you like mindless comedy with leprechauns acting as lifeguards. The main event was a letdown but really the only good thing about the show this week. I am interested in seeing Jack Swagger feud with Orton. It is still not enough for me to fork over $44.95 for Extreme Rules though.
I'm pretty sure the Magruber cast next week won't help Raw either. It will be interesting how the go home show will be next week because if next week's Raw is as uneventful as tonight's show then I think a lot of people will be tuning out.
Starting the show off with Hoff comming out was fairly interesting, obviously the guy's way over, he served his purpose of getting the crowd wound up and setting up what the E wanted to do.. Orton Vs Swagger at Extreme Rules is annouced, something I personally am pretty excited for, and should be a great match, it's nice their turning it into an actual fued. It also gives Jericho and Edge an opportunity to hopefully really finish their fued at Extreme rules. Orton Vs Batista tonight is annouced, and THAT should be a nice match.
We immediatly go to Eve vs. Maryse, and I actually don't take a rest-room break durring this diva's match, Thats pretty much a first! The match itself was kinda mediocre but I think the finish saved it, Maryse laughing like that is just creepy as hell, and Eve getting her first major womens title is pretty cool to see. hopefully they build off this match and turn the diva's division on raw into something worth watching.
ShoMiz is up next, and of course he's cutting another just great promo designed to keep this Hart Dynasty - ShoMiz Fued going. Miz is pretty much the best mic guy in the WWE right now and it show's week after week, and personally his interactions with Big Show are downright halarious, these two are great together, maybe better then show and Jericho were, which is truly saying something. It's gonna be DH Smith Vs Miz later , if miz wins bret has to admit they are the best of all time if DH smith wins they get a title shot.
DH Smith Vs MIZ . Great match, I really am liking how the flow, and honestly those 10 second vertical suplex's are pretty sweet. Unfortenatly Smith looses due to Big show interfering, which means Bret Hart is actually going to admit shomiz is the best tag team of all time? Dose this also mean no Shomiz vs Hart Dynasty at Extreme rules? I sure hope not, if this is the way the fued ends, without even a title match I will honestly be pretty disapointed. This fued has developed pretty decently and I don't want to see it end like this. The Hart Dynasty may not be the greatest mic workers ever, but they do put on a great match and I wouldn't mind seeing them win the Tag titles, even if they loose them it brings credibility back to the Tag Divison.. I mean right now there isn't a single team that has ever held the Tag-Team Titles to challenge Shomiz, and It's hard to sell all these random pairings as legit threats.. They need some actual competition, and I think the Hart Dynasty could lead the Tag divison for the next few years, they are young enough to stay in and help rebuild the divison from the ground up.
Apparently Otunga is going against Cena, kinda expecting a massive squash, because all of Cena's matchs pre- PPV are either him getting his ass kicked, or him squashing some jobber..
Evan Borune Vs Carlito??
Kind of random, but it's nice to see both of these guys get air time, and enough to put on a pretty decent match. Evan Bourne can reallly sell moves, and honestly by the end of this match I kind of am hoping to see more of both of them. an Evan Bourne -Carlito mid-card fued. Carlito is pretty good on the mic end and Evan is fun to watch in the ring, so hopefully they get some time to really put together something watchable and bring back the Midcard.
Yup Batista comes out with Otunga, dosen't accept cenas "challenge" after the match, and Otunga gets squashed.
Sheamus Cuts a promo, and dose a pretty decent job. He gets it done, calling HHH out on being "scared of him" . He talks about growing up on the street's and brings up the fact there match at Extreme Rules is going to be a Street fight. I am actually pumped to see this, Sheamus is really improving, and this HHH fued is doing wonders for his character.
I will be honest, when Kofi's Music hit I marked a little bit, Sheamus and Kofi are two of my absoulte favorite up and comming wrestlers in the WWE , and I have really wanted to see a sheamus vs Kofi fued for a while. Kofi Cuts a promo on Sheamus, which is suprising, because after last week I thought he was the Mid-Card Jobber , just being thrown in random match's with Main event talent as a filler, and random PPV Matchs to keep him on TV, but having him come out and go after sheamus for what happens is pretty awesome. they are setting the seeds for a future Kofi-Sheamus fued after he's done with HHH.
Kofi vs Sheamus
A pretty awesome match honestly, I thought it was put together nicely and Sheamus sold the trouble in Paridise perfectly, something that can't always be said for others. The ending was great with sheamus pulling out a monitor and beating Kofi with it. Kofi came off looking strong, and Sheamus protected his heel, never loose cleanly style. Really hope the throw these two into a legitmiate fued after Extreme rules.
Carlito again Cut's a promo looking for the guest host, at least their acknowleding he is a complete jobber and comedy talent at this point.
Randy Orton cuts a promo, which as always is great.. Randy really dose great mic work, he may not be witty, or funny, or a jericho/rock/cena/miz type , but when they protray him as a flat out bad-ass he really sells the character perfectly on the mic, and the way they have him portrayed right now is pretty much pefect.
-- Insert Comedy Segement here with divas/hornswoggle, santino, and the guest host--
I watched bits an pecies but honestly i ran over to the computer, checked my facebook, and got another beer. Its a throw away segement and I don't even watch them. Hopefully its over soon, oh wait nope they have to do the stupid running in slow motion thing.. I would turn the channel and watch something else but TNA is over now, and I'm really looking forward to the Orton - Batista match so I just suffered through it.
Orton Vs Batista, the Main event and there is STILL about 20 minutes left in the night, I love when they actually give the main event match,more then 5 minutes. I hate seeing it start at 11:04.
The match Didn't dissapoint, I was really into it the whole time. They really built up the bad blood between the two, throwing in the annoucer tables bit and then Orton going for the Punt ... I mean that was just perfect. Then Ending was great That rope DDT looks so vicious, and for a monday night raw Typical main even tthis match REALLY delivered. It ends with orton setting up his RKO followed by a Spinebuster from batista, then batista dose his set-up for the batista bomb and Orton hits the RKO out of nowhere, like always, but you still gotta love it. Orton goes for the cover and Swagger runs in and Lands a gut-wrench powerbomb.. Wow That was actually an awesome way to end this match, after two looses to Orton It's nice seeing swagger come out on top .
I was getting ready to head off to bed after that when I see CENA run into the ring, Cena nails swagger, and throws Batista in the STF untill it looks like he passes out, then he slowly counts to ten. Cena is really humiliating Batista for tapping out, and even though I didn't think they would be able to keep the Cena / Batista fued alive after Wrestlemania if cena won, I am actually impressed thsu far.. I am still fairly into this fued, and am glad they kept it going into extreme rules.
Overall Grade
8/10, not a single match besides the baywatch one was a throw-away, and they developed quite a few storylines. Really enjoyed raw this week
We immediatly go to Eve vs. Maryse, and I actually don't take a rest-room break durring this diva's match, Thats pretty much a first! The match itself was kinda mediocre but I think the finish saved it, Maryse laughing like that is just creepy as hell, and Eve getting her first major womens title is pretty cool to see. hopefully they build off this match and turn the diva's division on raw into something worth watching.
ShoMiz is up next, and of course he's cutting another just great promo designed to keep this Hart Dynasty - ShoMiz Fued going. Miz is pretty much the best mic guy in the WWE right now and it show's week after week, and personally his interactions with Big Show are downright halarious, these two are great together, maybe better then show and Jericho were, which is truly saying something. It's gonna be DH Smith Vs Miz later , if miz wins bret has to admit they are the best of all time if DH smith wins they get a title shot.
DH Smith Vs MIZ . Great match, I really am liking how the flow, and honestly those 10 second vertical suplex's are pretty sweet. Unfortenatly Smith looses due to Big show interfering, which means Bret Hart is actually going to admit shomiz is the best tag team of all time? Dose this also mean no Shomiz vs Hart Dynasty at Extreme rules? I sure hope not, if this is the way the fued ends, without even a title match I will honestly be pretty disapointed. This fued has developed pretty decently and I don't want to see it end like this. The Hart Dynasty may not be the greatest mic workers ever, but they do put on a great match and I wouldn't mind seeing them win the Tag titles, even if they loose them it brings credibility back to the Tag Divison.. I mean right now there isn't a single team that has ever held the Tag-Team Titles to challenge Shomiz, and It's hard to sell all these random pairings as legit threats.. They need some actual competition, and I think the Hart Dynasty could lead the Tag divison for the next few years, they are young enough to stay in and help rebuild the divison from the ground up.
Apparently Otunga is going against Cena, kinda expecting a massive squash, because all of Cena's matchs pre- PPV are either him getting his ass kicked, or him squashing some jobber..
Evan Borune Vs Carlito??
Kind of random, but it's nice to see both of these guys get air time, and enough to put on a pretty decent match. Evan Bourne can reallly sell moves, and honestly by the end of this match I kind of am hoping to see more of both of them. an Evan Bourne -Carlito mid-card fued. Carlito is pretty good on the mic end and Evan is fun to watch in the ring, so hopefully they get some time to really put together something watchable and bring back the Midcard.
Yup Batista comes out with Otunga, dosen't accept cenas "challenge" after the match, and Otunga gets squashed.
Sheamus Cuts a promo, and dose a pretty decent job. He gets it done, calling HHH out on being "scared of him" . He talks about growing up on the street's and brings up the fact there match at Extreme Rules is going to be a Street fight. I am actually pumped to see this, Sheamus is really improving, and this HHH fued is doing wonders for his character.
I will be honest, when Kofi's Music hit I marked a little bit, Sheamus and Kofi are two of my absoulte favorite up and comming wrestlers in the WWE , and I have really wanted to see a sheamus vs Kofi fued for a while. Kofi Cuts a promo on Sheamus, which is suprising, because after last week I thought he was the Mid-Card Jobber , just being thrown in random match's with Main event talent as a filler, and random PPV Matchs to keep him on TV, but having him come out and go after sheamus for what happens is pretty awesome. they are setting the seeds for a future Kofi-Sheamus fued after he's done with HHH.
Kofi vs Sheamus
A pretty awesome match honestly, I thought it was put together nicely and Sheamus sold the trouble in Paridise perfectly, something that can't always be said for others. The ending was great with sheamus pulling out a monitor and beating Kofi with it. Kofi came off looking strong, and Sheamus protected his heel, never loose cleanly style. Really hope the throw these two into a legitmiate fued after Extreme rules.
Carlito again Cut's a promo looking for the guest host, at least their acknowleding he is a complete jobber and comedy talent at this point.
Randy Orton cuts a promo, which as always is great.. Randy really dose great mic work, he may not be witty, or funny, or a jericho/rock/cena/miz type , but when they protray him as a flat out bad-ass he really sells the character perfectly on the mic, and the way they have him portrayed right now is pretty much pefect.
-- Insert Comedy Segement here with divas/hornswoggle, santino, and the guest host--
I watched bits an pecies but honestly i ran over to the computer, checked my facebook, and got another beer. Its a throw away segement and I don't even watch them. Hopefully its over soon, oh wait nope they have to do the stupid running in slow motion thing.. I would turn the channel and watch something else but TNA is over now, and I'm really looking forward to the Orton - Batista match so I just suffered through it.
Orton Vs Batista, the Main event and there is STILL about 20 minutes left in the night, I love when they actually give the main event match,more then 5 minutes. I hate seeing it start at 11:04.
The match Didn't dissapoint, I was really into it the whole time. They really built up the bad blood between the two, throwing in the annoucer tables bit and then Orton going for the Punt ... I mean that was just perfect. Then Ending was great That rope DDT looks so vicious, and for a monday night raw Typical main even tthis match REALLY delivered. It ends with orton setting up his RKO followed by a Spinebuster from batista, then batista dose his set-up for the batista bomb and Orton hits the RKO out of nowhere, like always, but you still gotta love it. Orton goes for the cover and Swagger runs in and Lands a gut-wrench powerbomb.. Wow That was actually an awesome way to end this match, after two looses to Orton It's nice seeing swagger come out on top .
I was getting ready to head off to bed after that when I see CENA run into the ring, Cena nails swagger, and throws Batista in the STF untill it looks like he passes out, then he slowly counts to ten. Cena is really humiliating Batista for tapping out, and even though I didn't think they would be able to keep the Cena / Batista fued alive after Wrestlemania if cena won, I am actually impressed thsu far.. I am still fairly into this fued, and am glad they kept it going into extreme rules.
Overall Grade
8/10, not a single match besides the baywatch one was a throw-away, and they developed quite a few storylines. Really enjoyed raw this week
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Overall, I thought Raw last night was a good, solid show. It wasn't spectacular, but I didn't really expect it to be since it wasn't live. The few times that Raw has been taped in London haven't made for spectacular shows.
Hasselhoff was a pretty awful host and he wasn't kept on television for long, thankfully. The Baywatch inspired Divas match was pretty much a waste of time. While I admit it was nice to see some hot chicks in skintight swimsuits, this is the kind of segment that the WWE has done a very good job in avoiding in 2010 and I hope that they don't get back into doing them.
The Divas Championship match was kind of a throawaway, though Eve did impress me a little with the moonsault and the roll up cradle she used to win the title.
Overall, I thought most of the wrestling content was solid. Nothing spectacular, but it was ok. I like Bret Hart's involvement in helping get the Hart Dynasty over and I also like the fact that Bret Hart isn't just being rammed down our throats every other segment. The Miz was great on the mic, as usual, and I do like the dynamic he has with the Big Show as a team. He and DH Smith had a good, solid match and Smith looked strong overall during the match. I expect to see a match between these two, still at Extreme Rules, and I'd like to see the feud built up some more. It'll be interesting to see what happens next week, especially with Bret Hart having to delclar ShowMiz the greatest tag team of all time.
I was surprised to see Evan Bourne and Carlito wrestle a match on Raw. For the most part, these two have been relegated to jobber status on the show and have had some good matches against one another on Superstars. They also worked a good, solid match with Bourne going over with Air Bourne. Given the fact that Bourne wasn't offered up as fodder for Sheamus or some other bigger star, I'm wondering if maybe this is the very beginning of some sort of push for him. Granted, a win over Carlito isn't exactly huge but a push, even a potential one, has got to start somewhere.
Sheamus delievered another good promo and had a pretty good match with Kofi. Both guys looked strong through the match and Sheamus delivered a good, quality beatdown on Kofi after being disqualified. I like the fact that Triple H was left off Raw last night, he's had some neck injuries I believe, because it only makes me more anxious to see what happens with Sheamus and Trips next week.
The John Cena/David Otunga match was a waste really. It was little more than a squash in which the only move Otunga landed was a right hand. Since we haven't really seen SuperCena for a while, I guess they just decided to let him out to play for a while last night.
I enjoyed the Batista/Orton match. It was a good, quality 12 minute match in which both guys looked strong. Last night was the strongest that Orton has ever looked against Batista. I'm glad that Swagger made his presence known a bit as he gave the gutwrench powerbomb to Orton before Orton had a chance to go for the pin on Batista. I would have like to have seen him say a little something on the mic but he did make a bit of a statement.
Overall, last night's Raw was solid though I'm expecting next week to be much better. After all, every show can't be a barnburner
Hasselhoff was a pretty awful host and he wasn't kept on television for long, thankfully. The Baywatch inspired Divas match was pretty much a waste of time. While I admit it was nice to see some hot chicks in skintight swimsuits, this is the kind of segment that the WWE has done a very good job in avoiding in 2010 and I hope that they don't get back into doing them.
The Divas Championship match was kind of a throawaway, though Eve did impress me a little with the moonsault and the roll up cradle she used to win the title.
Overall, I thought most of the wrestling content was solid. Nothing spectacular, but it was ok. I like Bret Hart's involvement in helping get the Hart Dynasty over and I also like the fact that Bret Hart isn't just being rammed down our throats every other segment. The Miz was great on the mic, as usual, and I do like the dynamic he has with the Big Show as a team. He and DH Smith had a good, solid match and Smith looked strong overall during the match. I expect to see a match between these two, still at Extreme Rules, and I'd like to see the feud built up some more. It'll be interesting to see what happens next week, especially with Bret Hart having to delclar ShowMiz the greatest tag team of all time.
I was surprised to see Evan Bourne and Carlito wrestle a match on Raw. For the most part, these two have been relegated to jobber status on the show and have had some good matches against one another on Superstars. They also worked a good, solid match with Bourne going over with Air Bourne. Given the fact that Bourne wasn't offered up as fodder for Sheamus or some other bigger star, I'm wondering if maybe this is the very beginning of some sort of push for him. Granted, a win over Carlito isn't exactly huge but a push, even a potential one, has got to start somewhere.
Sheamus delievered another good promo and had a pretty good match with Kofi. Both guys looked strong through the match and Sheamus delivered a good, quality beatdown on Kofi after being disqualified. I like the fact that Triple H was left off Raw last night, he's had some neck injuries I believe, because it only makes me more anxious to see what happens with Sheamus and Trips next week.
The John Cena/David Otunga match was a waste really. It was little more than a squash in which the only move Otunga landed was a right hand. Since we haven't really seen SuperCena for a while, I guess they just decided to let him out to play for a while last night.
I enjoyed the Batista/Orton match. It was a good, quality 12 minute match in which both guys looked strong. Last night was the strongest that Orton has ever looked against Batista. I'm glad that Swagger made his presence known a bit as he gave the gutwrench powerbomb to Orton before Orton had a chance to go for the pin on Batista. I would have like to have seen him say a little something on the mic but he did make a bit of a statement.
Overall, last night's Raw was solid though I'm expecting next week to be much better. After all, every show can't be a barnburner
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
The numbers for last night's Raw are in and there was something of an improvement. Last week's Raw did a 3.15 while this week's Raw pulled a straight 3.2. It's not a great set of numbers, but it's a bit better than last week. The show drew an average audience of 4.7 million people. The first hour pulled a 3.0 with an audience of 4 million while the first hour and pulled a 3.4 with an audience of 5 million.
With next week being the go home show for Extreme Rules, I'd say there's a good chance of having an increase in the numbers.
With next week being the go home show for Extreme Rules, I'd say there's a good chance of having an increase in the numbers.
Vanderhook
Pre-Show Stalwart
Solid Raw.
The 'Hoff was kind of cheesy, but the crowd ate it up so.. I guess he was a success.
Loved the Otunga/Batista promo. Otunga is impressing me with his mic work and is really selling his character. Reminds me of The Miz meets The Rock. His match on the other hand was boring as hell. I understand Otunga is an NXT rookie and has no business beating or even going toe to toe with Cena, but at least make the match SOMEWHAT interesting.
ShoMiz was amazing as usual. Easily becoming my favorite segment week-in and week out. I loved him talking trash to the Harts. I realize I'm in the minority here but I absolutely HATE Bret Hart and the lame Hart Dynasty. I was very surprised that Miz won because I thought there was no way in hell they'd have Hart come out and declare ShoMiz as the best.. that and I thought a Hart Dynasty title shot was a no-brainer. I expect the Dynasty to find a way to get a title shot next week.
Sheamus cut a pretty good promo. He's getting better every week. I was very skeptical when this guy first joined the main event scene but he has won me over. I marked when Kofi came out and wanted to get some revenge.. I think this is a sign of a return for Kofi's more serious side we saw against Orton and a foreshadowing of a future feud with Sheamus, which is a good thing.
Baywatch match was super lame. Funny to see the hardcore Santino chants.
Main even was okay. I was expecting a lot more to be honest, but it wasn't bad. Swagger coming out was predictable.
Overall a pretty decent Raw. 8/10
The 'Hoff was kind of cheesy, but the crowd ate it up so.. I guess he was a success.
Loved the Otunga/Batista promo. Otunga is impressing me with his mic work and is really selling his character. Reminds me of The Miz meets The Rock. His match on the other hand was boring as hell. I understand Otunga is an NXT rookie and has no business beating or even going toe to toe with Cena, but at least make the match SOMEWHAT interesting.
ShoMiz was amazing as usual. Easily becoming my favorite segment week-in and week out. I loved him talking trash to the Harts. I realize I'm in the minority here but I absolutely HATE Bret Hart and the lame Hart Dynasty. I was very surprised that Miz won because I thought there was no way in hell they'd have Hart come out and declare ShoMiz as the best.. that and I thought a Hart Dynasty title shot was a no-brainer. I expect the Dynasty to find a way to get a title shot next week.
Sheamus cut a pretty good promo. He's getting better every week. I was very skeptical when this guy first joined the main event scene but he has won me over. I marked when Kofi came out and wanted to get some revenge.. I think this is a sign of a return for Kofi's more serious side we saw against Orton and a foreshadowing of a future feud with Sheamus, which is a good thing.
Baywatch match was super lame. Funny to see the hardcore Santino chants.
Main even was okay. I was expecting a lot more to be honest, but it wasn't bad. Swagger coming out was predictable.
Overall a pretty decent Raw. 8/10
I didn't really know where to put this as I am not allowed to create a new thread but one thing I've noticed since I've started watching wrestling again is that there is rarely "moves" anymore, on Raw this week durig the Kofi - Sheamus match there was 3 what I would consider moves, Kofi's trouble in paridise and Sheamus's powerslam and at the very begining the sleeper hold, thats it from what I can remember, when I stopped watching wrestling 3-4 years ago matches had loads of moves and less strikes and to me the matches arn't as entertaining when it's just people hitting each other, there is nothing wrong with it but that belongs in Boxing, in WWE I expect to see suplexs, slams, powerbombs, hip tosses, neckbreakers, hurracarranas ( sp lol) Ok I don't expect Sheamus to start doing all these things so much as he is a Brawler, but Kofi is more than capable of doing some moves at least. The best match IMO on Raw was Miz vs Smith wrestling wise that had lots of technical moves and subbmissions with the sections of them just punching each other.
I see people on here saying how the WRESTLING is better in the PG era but IMO it's gotten worse, from the matches I've seen since I've been watching WWE again 2 weeks before 'mania it's gotten worse, maybe it's just me but the matches now just seem meh, it might just be I've gotten older, what do you lot think?
I see people on here saying how the WRESTLING is better in the PG era but IMO it's gotten worse, from the matches I've seen since I've been watching WWE again 2 weeks before 'mania it's gotten worse, maybe it's just me but the matches now just seem meh, it might just be I've gotten older, what do you lot think?
I haven't done one of these in a while because I've been super busy Monday nights and haven't been able to catch RAW, but I'll finally be able to watch tonight, so I figured I'd do a review.
RAW kicks of with HHH, and the crowd seems way into it. Way to represent Jersey! He poses for a while, and then tells everyone that he's the only guy there. HHH decides to play the role of anchorman. He's not so good at it. I do like HHH though, I think he's probably the best guy on the mic in the WWE. the entire RAW roster is stuck in Europe according to HHH. He's doing a really good job keeping the fans entertained. So no RAW superstars, but we will be getting a show that meets our highest standards? I'm anticipating Smackdown live.
HHH gets interrupted by the SES! Festus and Sareena are carrying weapons of sorts... what's going to happen here? I'd be very down for a HHH-CM Punk match tonight.
CM Punk makes fun of Jersey, ouch. HHH is on tonight, he's funny. A lot of shots at CM Punk's hair. Good exchange between CM Punk and HHH, but a bit lengthy, I guess they really don't have anyone there tonight. HHH hits the crowd, wastes more time, but it's still really fucking funny. Hey! Lillian is here! CM Punk is cowering out now, great heel work.
Ambush on HHH, he fights out, but the SES gets the better of him. Finally some action! They want to shave his head, that's what those weapons were! Rey Mysterio out for the save. Drop kick to CM Punk while holding the razor, and then hits a headscisors take down on Festus. Mysterio teases shaving Punk, but only shaves off one lock. Still a very foreshadowing segment, and I'm digging tonight's start to RAW.
Cena is going to talk next, I'm assuming via satelite. Based on the length of the opening segment and the fact that the show is going from a talking segment to another talking segment, I'm guessing there's going to be little in the way of wrestling tonight. Hopefully they do a lot of segments with the SNL crew. They're used to the pressures of a live show, and Kristen Wigg and Will Forte are hilarious.
Oh look, a match, Drew MacIntyre vs. Matt Hardy.
Matt Hardy starts the match off looking strong, but the fight goes outside the ring where it turns in MacIntyre's favor. After maintaining the advantage for a while, Hardy manages to regain control for a short time but loses it after MacIntyre reverses a Twist of Fate. The two accidently headbutt which knocks Hardy out of it, and MacIntyre capitalizes with a power move which he uses to win the match. A quick, light, but decent match. I'm sure many of the matches are going to be like this since Smackdown is shooting tomorrow night. Not much to say about this match, I'd give it a 5/10
I honestly think if Hardy got back into shape, he could make another serious run in the WWE. As for MacIntyre... they gotta put him back on the mic and give him that sort of "Chosen One" personality. Push home the fact that Vince McMahon personally picked MacIntyre to be the next champ, that will piss people off more than just beating midcarders like Matt Hardy.
John Cena interview. They're just talking about the situation mostly and Cena talking up his match at Extreme Rules. Very short segment, and it's over.
Vladamir Kozlov is in the ring! He wants King to read his statement. Has this guy been involved in a single storyline where he doesn't demand better competition? New Jersey is taking a lot of shots tonight. MACGRUBER IS OUT! And the crowd goes mild. He and Kristen Wigg are carrying American flags and walking around the ring. They announce the main event, CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and Jericho vs. HHH, Rey Mysterio, and Edge! I'm not a huge fan of these "Pack as many stars into a match and hope it goes well," type matches. MacGruber names some famous New Jerseyans, one of which isn't real, and another one isn't actually from New Jersey (Snooki is from Rhode Island I believe). Will Forte makes fun of Kozlov's mom's uterus. Will Forte announces a match, R-Truth vs. Vladamir Kozlov. Meh, not to excited about that one. Holy crap, the stage exploded, and there are only a pair of smoking shoes left. This is just silly. It's changed from R-Truth vs. Kozlov to MacGrubber vs. Kozlov. It got worse.
Dude, this show is going downhill fast. Up next is a satellite call with Randy Orton. There has been one match in 45 minutes, and it lasted about 3 minutes.
Another joke segment, HHH and MacGruber are talking. He peed his pants... hilarious. Kane also got involved. Great, just great. If I had to rank that segment out of 10, I'd give it a half a star.
Randy Orton talks- I don't get why people like him so much, I find him so boring. He basically says he's going to beat Jack Swagger, and that's it.
We are approaching the one hour mark with only one wrestling match. Very lame.
Jack Swagger comes out, I think to talk... Yup, he has a microphone. This is PAINFUL. How many times can they say the same thing? Jack Swagger issues an open challenge. Ten bucks says Santino accepts. Oh wait, quite the opposite... it's The Undertaker! I'll say it because JR can't, business is about to pick up! And this match is actually going to happen!
Undertaker Vs. Jack Swagger
A striker vs. a wrestler, this match has some god potential. Jack Swagger starts off strong, knocking Taker down with a shoulder block, but Taker answers with a shoulder block of his own, and he starts going to work. Taker goes old school.
Michael Cole: This is called Old School!
No shit Sherlock. God he pisses me off.
Swagger manages to hit a scoop slam on Taker that he follows up with a pin. Taker rolls out of the ring, and Swagger goes to follow him, but is met with Taker's fists and a trip into the steel steps. Swagger manages to reverse an Irish Whip into the steel steps himself. Swagger taunts the crowd as Taker makes his way back into the ring. Swagger drags Taker into the ring and starts working on his legs. Taker gets beat up on a little, but throws Swagger out of the ring by his tights. Undertaker hits a leg drop on the apron, gotta love that move. Taker hits a snap suplex, goes for a pin, and gets two. Rest hold and commercial.
We get back and Swagger is back to working on Taker's legs. Taker kicks Swagger out of the ring, but Swagger goes back to work on Taker. Pin attempt, but Taker kicks out. Taker breaks out of a hold my hammering his thigh against Swagger's face, never saw that before! The two exchange punches, and Swagger takes a brief advantage before eating a DDT from Taker. Taker goes for the pin, but Swagger kicks out after two. Swagger goes face first into the turnbuckle, takes a leg drop, and then kicks out of a pin attempt by Taker. Taker calls for a chokeslam, but Swagger fights out. Taker nails Swagger in the head with a heavy fist but Swagger hits a DDT. Swagger goes for a pin but Taker kicks out after two. Swagger goes for that move he goes where he goes for a splash off the second rope, but Taker counters that into a chokeslam. Taker picks him up and Taker hits the Tombstone Piledriver, and gets the three count. Taker wins, no surprises, but it was a good match. I'd give it an 7.5/10.
Jericho is talking to the SES, bossing them around. Jericho and MacGrubber have a little chat. Jericho sings a little song to the tune of MacGrubber. He still has some comedic skill apparently. Jericho tells MacGrubber to slap Kozlov. This will be fun... Jericho showing some shades of Y2J, I miss that guy.
Kozlov vs. MacGrubber
MacGrubber walks to the ring exuding confidence. MacGrubber extends his hand for a hand shake and then slaps Kozlov. Didn't work. Kozlov headbutts... headbutts... and headbutts. Some other guy comes out and says the match should be stopped. It's now a handicapped match, so it's MacGrubber and... Khalubber... who is really The Great Khali. Khali is dressed up in a blond wig and a tan vest and plaid. Michael Cole points out that his hair looks like Tina Turner. This match actually just got worse with the insertion of Khali. Kozlov tries to leave, but is followed out by Khali. The match ends with a double count out, but MacGrubber is still pronounced the winner.
This match isn't even worth rating.
HHH, Rey Mysterio, and Edge vs. Y2J and the SES
Shamus tells HHH he's going to kick his ass, and then he punches the PA.
The faces start off by dominating, including Rey going to work on Y2J, and a big brawl, and a suicide dive taking out all three heels. Commercial.
We come back and the SES is ganging up on Rey. Gallow goes to work dropping legs and elbows on Rey. Jericho comes in and Rey picks up some steam, eventually hitting a springboard moonsault on Jericho. Edge and Gallows are tagged in. Edge goes to work on everyone in the ring, ripping Gallows apart. Edge sets up for a spear. He starts to run, but his tripped by Jericho out of the ring. Jericho tags in and starts stomping away at Edge who is selling an ankle injury. CM Punk tags in and continues to work on the ankle. Gallows comes in and jobs to Edge who hits him with a flying drop kick out of the corner. HHH is tagged in as well as CM Punk for the heels. HHH goes to heavy work on Punk. Double A Spinebuster on CM Punk. He sets up the pedigee, but gets clotheslined by Gallows. Mysterio takes out Gallows, who is in turn taken out by Jericho, but Jericho is handled by Edge. Mysterio gets back in the ring and hits the 619 on Punk. Punk staggers over to HHH, who hits the pedigree and gets the three count.
Pretty wild match, and a decent ending. I'd give it a 6.5/10
Overall, this RAW wasn't really worth watching, but it was okay for a show they clearly threw together. I'd give it an overall of 6/10. I'm excited for the Draft next week, and I look forward to covering it.
RAW kicks of with HHH, and the crowd seems way into it. Way to represent Jersey! He poses for a while, and then tells everyone that he's the only guy there. HHH decides to play the role of anchorman. He's not so good at it. I do like HHH though, I think he's probably the best guy on the mic in the WWE. the entire RAW roster is stuck in Europe according to HHH. He's doing a really good job keeping the fans entertained. So no RAW superstars, but we will be getting a show that meets our highest standards? I'm anticipating Smackdown live.
HHH gets interrupted by the SES! Festus and Sareena are carrying weapons of sorts... what's going to happen here? I'd be very down for a HHH-CM Punk match tonight.
CM Punk makes fun of Jersey, ouch. HHH is on tonight, he's funny. A lot of shots at CM Punk's hair. Good exchange between CM Punk and HHH, but a bit lengthy, I guess they really don't have anyone there tonight. HHH hits the crowd, wastes more time, but it's still really fucking funny. Hey! Lillian is here! CM Punk is cowering out now, great heel work.
Ambush on HHH, he fights out, but the SES gets the better of him. Finally some action! They want to shave his head, that's what those weapons were! Rey Mysterio out for the save. Drop kick to CM Punk while holding the razor, and then hits a headscisors take down on Festus. Mysterio teases shaving Punk, but only shaves off one lock. Still a very foreshadowing segment, and I'm digging tonight's start to RAW.
Cena is going to talk next, I'm assuming via satelite. Based on the length of the opening segment and the fact that the show is going from a talking segment to another talking segment, I'm guessing there's going to be little in the way of wrestling tonight. Hopefully they do a lot of segments with the SNL crew. They're used to the pressures of a live show, and Kristen Wigg and Will Forte are hilarious.
Oh look, a match, Drew MacIntyre vs. Matt Hardy.
Matt Hardy starts the match off looking strong, but the fight goes outside the ring where it turns in MacIntyre's favor. After maintaining the advantage for a while, Hardy manages to regain control for a short time but loses it after MacIntyre reverses a Twist of Fate. The two accidently headbutt which knocks Hardy out of it, and MacIntyre capitalizes with a power move which he uses to win the match. A quick, light, but decent match. I'm sure many of the matches are going to be like this since Smackdown is shooting tomorrow night. Not much to say about this match, I'd give it a 5/10
I honestly think if Hardy got back into shape, he could make another serious run in the WWE. As for MacIntyre... they gotta put him back on the mic and give him that sort of "Chosen One" personality. Push home the fact that Vince McMahon personally picked MacIntyre to be the next champ, that will piss people off more than just beating midcarders like Matt Hardy.
John Cena interview. They're just talking about the situation mostly and Cena talking up his match at Extreme Rules. Very short segment, and it's over.
Vladamir Kozlov is in the ring! He wants King to read his statement. Has this guy been involved in a single storyline where he doesn't demand better competition? New Jersey is taking a lot of shots tonight. MACGRUBER IS OUT! And the crowd goes mild. He and Kristen Wigg are carrying American flags and walking around the ring. They announce the main event, CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and Jericho vs. HHH, Rey Mysterio, and Edge! I'm not a huge fan of these "Pack as many stars into a match and hope it goes well," type matches. MacGruber names some famous New Jerseyans, one of which isn't real, and another one isn't actually from New Jersey (Snooki is from Rhode Island I believe). Will Forte makes fun of Kozlov's mom's uterus. Will Forte announces a match, R-Truth vs. Vladamir Kozlov. Meh, not to excited about that one. Holy crap, the stage exploded, and there are only a pair of smoking shoes left. This is just silly. It's changed from R-Truth vs. Kozlov to MacGrubber vs. Kozlov. It got worse.
Dude, this show is going downhill fast. Up next is a satellite call with Randy Orton. There has been one match in 45 minutes, and it lasted about 3 minutes.
Another joke segment, HHH and MacGruber are talking. He peed his pants... hilarious. Kane also got involved. Great, just great. If I had to rank that segment out of 10, I'd give it a half a star.
Randy Orton talks- I don't get why people like him so much, I find him so boring. He basically says he's going to beat Jack Swagger, and that's it.
We are approaching the one hour mark with only one wrestling match. Very lame.
Jack Swagger comes out, I think to talk... Yup, he has a microphone. This is PAINFUL. How many times can they say the same thing? Jack Swagger issues an open challenge. Ten bucks says Santino accepts. Oh wait, quite the opposite... it's The Undertaker! I'll say it because JR can't, business is about to pick up! And this match is actually going to happen!
Undertaker Vs. Jack Swagger
A striker vs. a wrestler, this match has some god potential. Jack Swagger starts off strong, knocking Taker down with a shoulder block, but Taker answers with a shoulder block of his own, and he starts going to work. Taker goes old school.
Michael Cole: This is called Old School!
No shit Sherlock. God he pisses me off.
Swagger manages to hit a scoop slam on Taker that he follows up with a pin. Taker rolls out of the ring, and Swagger goes to follow him, but is met with Taker's fists and a trip into the steel steps. Swagger manages to reverse an Irish Whip into the steel steps himself. Swagger taunts the crowd as Taker makes his way back into the ring. Swagger drags Taker into the ring and starts working on his legs. Taker gets beat up on a little, but throws Swagger out of the ring by his tights. Undertaker hits a leg drop on the apron, gotta love that move. Taker hits a snap suplex, goes for a pin, and gets two. Rest hold and commercial.
We get back and Swagger is back to working on Taker's legs. Taker kicks Swagger out of the ring, but Swagger goes back to work on Taker. Pin attempt, but Taker kicks out. Taker breaks out of a hold my hammering his thigh against Swagger's face, never saw that before! The two exchange punches, and Swagger takes a brief advantage before eating a DDT from Taker. Taker goes for the pin, but Swagger kicks out after two. Swagger goes face first into the turnbuckle, takes a leg drop, and then kicks out of a pin attempt by Taker. Taker calls for a chokeslam, but Swagger fights out. Taker nails Swagger in the head with a heavy fist but Swagger hits a DDT. Swagger goes for a pin but Taker kicks out after two. Swagger goes for that move he goes where he goes for a splash off the second rope, but Taker counters that into a chokeslam. Taker picks him up and Taker hits the Tombstone Piledriver, and gets the three count. Taker wins, no surprises, but it was a good match. I'd give it an 7.5/10.
Jericho is talking to the SES, bossing them around. Jericho and MacGrubber have a little chat. Jericho sings a little song to the tune of MacGrubber. He still has some comedic skill apparently. Jericho tells MacGrubber to slap Kozlov. This will be fun... Jericho showing some shades of Y2J, I miss that guy.
Kozlov vs. MacGrubber
MacGrubber walks to the ring exuding confidence. MacGrubber extends his hand for a hand shake and then slaps Kozlov. Didn't work. Kozlov headbutts... headbutts... and headbutts. Some other guy comes out and says the match should be stopped. It's now a handicapped match, so it's MacGrubber and... Khalubber... who is really The Great Khali. Khali is dressed up in a blond wig and a tan vest and plaid. Michael Cole points out that his hair looks like Tina Turner. This match actually just got worse with the insertion of Khali. Kozlov tries to leave, but is followed out by Khali. The match ends with a double count out, but MacGrubber is still pronounced the winner.
This match isn't even worth rating.
HHH, Rey Mysterio, and Edge vs. Y2J and the SES
Shamus tells HHH he's going to kick his ass, and then he punches the PA.
The faces start off by dominating, including Rey going to work on Y2J, and a big brawl, and a suicide dive taking out all three heels. Commercial.
We come back and the SES is ganging up on Rey. Gallow goes to work dropping legs and elbows on Rey. Jericho comes in and Rey picks up some steam, eventually hitting a springboard moonsault on Jericho. Edge and Gallows are tagged in. Edge goes to work on everyone in the ring, ripping Gallows apart. Edge sets up for a spear. He starts to run, but his tripped by Jericho out of the ring. Jericho tags in and starts stomping away at Edge who is selling an ankle injury. CM Punk tags in and continues to work on the ankle. Gallows comes in and jobs to Edge who hits him with a flying drop kick out of the corner. HHH is tagged in as well as CM Punk for the heels. HHH goes to heavy work on Punk. Double A Spinebuster on CM Punk. He sets up the pedigee, but gets clotheslined by Gallows. Mysterio takes out Gallows, who is in turn taken out by Jericho, but Jericho is handled by Edge. Mysterio gets back in the ring and hits the 619 on Punk. Punk staggers over to HHH, who hits the pedigree and gets the three count.
Pretty wild match, and a decent ending. I'd give it a 6.5/10
Overall, this RAW wasn't really worth watching, but it was okay for a show they clearly threw together. I'd give it an overall of 6/10. I'm excited for the Draft next week, and I look forward to covering it.