RAW - Electri-THUD!!

[VABurghman]

Wow. So Rock is the most, or in the case of last night the least, electrifying man in all of sports entertainment. Was anyone else bored out of their skull with the opening skit last night along with all of the corny back stage skits through the show? Shoot, it had to be close to 30 minutes before the first match even got under way. The most exciting part of the show had to be Kharma coming out. Though I will give props to Cena / Miz even though that match belonged in a PPV. Definitely match of the night. But Rock, electrifying? More like a fizzling power line right before the transformer blows it out.

 

[Tors Hall Rule]

Couldn't agree with you more man.. This had to be one of those times that I was bored watching Rock speak... To be honest, the more I watch Rock, the more I think that he really isn't exciting anymore.. This is the guy that has the crowd in the palm of his hands, for more than a decade now, but he doesnt have it anymore.. He'll speak a few words.. KNOW YOUR ROLE.. Another few words.. IT DOESNT MATTER.. Another few words.. TEAM BRING IT.. Another few words.. If YA JUST SMELL.. He's slowly turning into a man of 1004 catchphrases.. He was great when he came back after EC.. Not anymore..

And yes, KHarma coming out was the best bit on RAW.. I dont remember the last time I was this excited about something happening in the Divas section.. And Kelly Kelly's reaction was priceless...

 

[Midgetmania619]

Now that you mention it, I actually was bored watching it.

My least favourite part of the night (other than those matches) was the Rock/Dolph/Vickie segment. Anybody else think that segment just lacked, well, everything?

Rock is there, the 2 chumps come out but then it just turns into a talking ceremony. Talk here, talk there, talking everywhere. It was Dwayne Johnson on his Birthday talking to some younger people. Then Mae Young comes out and he talks to her like she's a young child, or even a canine.

Then Cena wasted quite a bit of time, of course the match would be for the WWE title. Dwayne "Don't Call Me The Rock" Johnson turns around, sees John (who takes about 1 minute to say "Our match will be for the WWE title") and then they cut to ad break.

I actually really hated tonight's RAW. Very lackluster matches, such as Kane vs M-Ryan, although kudos to Kane for displaying Batistwo's strength and putting him over in that match. Same with Big Show for taking that Spear like a man, and actually staying down unlike Cena who, when he took a spear, would just roll out of the ring (or even get up shortly after and attack).

I have to admit, Kharma's attack was the most eventful. I didn't know she'd attack Maryse, we don't know her role in the Diva's division yet, however, I think that in time the Diva division will be bumped back down into their 20' grave. Same thing happened with the tag titles, but this will just prolong the inevitable for much longer. How does this get to The Rock?

His segment wasted a lot of time that Kharma could've had to build more dominance, we get that she's dominant now but she could've done something to Kelly Kelly, like lift her up or so, but then put her down. That just shows that she had the chance, she could've done it but it'd establish her role more.

With Rock taking up time he cut off a new star (Kharma) and any other star who "would be on but it can't be fitted in". Because Rock had about 1 hour of time.

 

[steveom07]

Its pretty hard for the rock to electrify when he has nothing to build for. You think about every great promo you have ever heard him say. It was all building for a match. Taking the piss out of someone.

Building for Wrestlemania now is far too soon. So it makes it difficult for him to grip the audience.

 

[Thesage1989]

you guys must be watchin something different oh well lol the crowd was in his hand and the show wasn't about wrestling or the rock cutting promos you must remember this is a different rock, the scripted PG rock. and he crowd ate him up.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I am personally thrilled Raw was so lackluster last night. Why?

Because between Extreme Rules and the Obama press conference about bin Laden Sunday night, I needed to catch up on sleep, that's why. And sleep I did. Passed out, on the couch, with the wife, Raw a distant afterthought. I did catch Tough Enough, however, which was endlessly entertaining!

The Rock was so self-egrandizing last night, and I think the fans are starting to sense it. He wouldn't have been able to pull off such blatant self-promotion anywhere else besides Miami. Had they been someplace like L.A. or New York, Miz would have out-popped him. The fact that The Rock has 1) not come back full time, 2) done half his schtick via Satellite, 3) taken up so much time on programming between Wrestlemania and Raw, and 4) got a Happy Birthday tribute last night is undoubtedly wearing thin the collateral he built up for so many years.

Maybe that's why Raw was so boring.

 

[BASSER911414]

well i didnt like raw tht much either.... but i disagree with a lot of u

hated the khali hornswoggle santino segment and absolutely DETESTED the mae young scene

i thought the vickie dolph segment was ok.. the best part i liked was when he yelled shutup and unlike vickie guerrero she actually did shut up and were able to act up a pretty convincing face as well

the last thng in the night was ok as well. the video montage was boring. it had all the the rocks recent (2011) stuff.

but the rock and michael cole segment was my favorite part of the whole show. liked the way he dissed cole and laid it to him. i had been waiting for somethng like tht to happen to cole ever since elimination chamber but obviously at kings hands

aftr tht my fav. was kharmas raw debut. tht was pretty cool

all in all not one of the best raws but far frm the worse.

and i agree with one of the guys above saying tht had the rock been building up towards a rivalry or feud. then wed all see the rock tht we want

 

[drk_knight]

jeeeeeeeeeze what more do you people want? RAW was Awesome. It had a realllly fantasic match with Mike Mizanin and John Cena. The wole of last year and year before that everyone wanted to see the Rock back and relivr the old memories but now everyone thinks its boring? Im sorry I think all of you should come up with awesome over the top storylines like a tna invasion maybe?

 

[jobesukulele]

Yup, I share your thoughts.

I'm still pissed with Rock for his "I say Yabba, you say" ...shut up Rock bit that bumped Bryan Seamus off of the WM card.
That was the sort of thing that should have happened before the cameras rolled and then been included as a DVD extra.

..and last night, I think, was the same. Except it should have just happened before the show and then not been included anywhere.. Ever.

For someone who apparently "brings it", I'm wondering if all he has left to bring is long winded speeches.

...and now even worse, we face as a fan base 11 months with John Cena as champion (if his announcement last night comes to pass). I just hope Del Rio, or Miz, or Morrison, or Punk, or shit, even R Truth can make sure that doesn't happen. Jesus WWE hire Vince Russo back, let him be champion, just don't let John Stale hold the belt for teh next 11 months!

 

[Negrodamus]

Last night was a Rock appreciation night, thats it thats all, it was never meant to be like a regular Raw. Plus this is not the real Rock character we are seeing because as other posters have said he is not building anything and to build for WM28 this soon is stupid.

This also was another way VKM can get his product seen mainstream by bringing in artist actors and athletes. Those of you complaining really have no idea about the business or just have not realized how much the business has changed



And about Kharma she is going to be VKM's goldmine Diva, I cant believe she is getting pops. Kelly Kelly was great cowering in the corner and I believe it was good Kharma did nothing to her it just adds to some suspense

 

[Tully]

I thought it was a terrible RAW. Why go thru so much to wish a non-active-roster member a happy 39th birthday?

I personally think it was part of Rock's agreement to return to WWE. Rock probably said he'd come back if VKM threw him a huge birthday bash in his hometown, in addition to making him ME 2 consecutive Wrestlemanias (not really 27...but close enough). That whole show was so over-the-top, it looked like it was PURPOSELY over the top.

I mean, did you catch his face at the end, as all that balloons,streamers, and crap were coming down with the massive fireworks display? He had the same look on his face that Hulk Hogan did when Shawn Michaels was infamously over-selling their 'Mania match a few years ago.

The whole thing seemed to be almost 'in your face, Rock' in its over-the-topness.

 

[ThatGuy99]

I think some of you (not all) are just pissed Cena beat Miz.
Yeah, REALLY.
His promos werent great, but they werent boring. I dont get it, why do you people complain about even the tiniest thing?

 

[mkman613]

I think you all are out of your minds. RAW was fantastic last night. Absolutely.

the rock was great. the wrestling was great. even santino and mea young were both fun segments.

jeez you all are so stuck up about your wrestling. Raw was extremely entertaining last night.

 

[RJJ]

Like alot of you here said, raw wasn't meant to be a wrestling show, last night, it was rock's appreciating night. But I also don't blame some of you for getting bored, because clearly the wwe are overusing the rock, he appeared like what 30min?Not to mention all the ads and the interviews they had with the celebs..The point is you can't put a babyface in front of the camera all that time and expect him to deliever everytime, cause eventually it will lead the fans to turn against him.

Overall, it was a great show, and far from being the worst. IMO, the best part of it was vince's speech, what a touching moment.

 

[The Rob]

Woah, I must say I wasn't expecting this negative backlash of what I thought was a very entertaining episode of Raw. Sure, the only match that was worth talking about was Cena v.s Miz but that match was twice as good as their match at WrestleMania. I personally loved all the stuff about The Rock, that promo/tribute video was superb and whilst the backstage 'party' was corny, thats how the WWE has always done it. You could see the legitimate emotion in Vince's eyes when he came out and did his speech. Plus each time they cut to that party, it entertained me. Michael Cole getting the Rock Bottom and the People's Elbow was great, and we had JR call a very decent title match on Raw, what's not to like? Perhaps I'm easily pleased but I was highly entertained by Raw last night. Great episode.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

"Happy birthday dear The Rock, happy birthday to you." Ha!

What grown man has a 39th birthday party?

The Rock is great but this show was boring. The wrestling was well done but the show had no flow to it. Every solid moment was followed up with crap that was too long or too crappy.

Again, what grown man has a 39th birthday party?

 

[Sleep Time]

I totally agree, The Rock does not deserve this much time to show off and smile. I wish there were more wrestling time, but the Rock doesn't seem to give a shit as he himself is not that talented of a wrestler. It was a terrible at home raw and so much wrestling time was taken up. BIG DEAL ITS HIS BIRTHDAY! Who cares? Honestly, a WRESTLING fan should expect to see WRESTLING from the World WRESTLING Entertainment. The Rock is sooo boring and I really don't like him, I use to like him, now he thinks that he can take up time for the young guys just because its his birthday? Really? All that bull shit happy birthday segments sucked and none of the matches except Miz/Cena were even that good, I'm sorry but thats the truth.

 

[billm75]

Finally, The Rock has come back...and the IWC has already grown tired of him. From begging and pleading to get him back on TV, to this? Wow, how fickle can a group of people be.

Perhaps, just perhaps, he wasn't as great as you like to remember he was. Figure about 10 years ago, you had different tastes, things weren't the same as they are now and you've matured (or at least gotten older) and the reality isn't living up to your memories. It happens with alot of things. You remember only the best parts of something because that's how the human memory works. You're not going to hang on to a memory of something mediocre, and the longer you have that memory, that nostalgia, the better it seems when reminiscing.

Calm down, let the man do his thing and keep in mind, he's not doing anything much differently than he ever did. He used all the same catchphrases and facial expressions back then as he is now. He's just had to clean up his script a little to stay under the PG umbrella. If dick jokes are what it takes for you to love someone unconditionally, I'd say you've got more issues than a less than stellar RAW episode.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I dont get it, why do you people complain about even the tiniest thing?

Yeah, really. After spending a lot of time on this forum, I'm still amazed at how many of you consider yourself true fans of wrestling, yet hate everything that goes on in WWE and TNA. If they try something new, you hate it. If they stick with what they've done in the past, you hate it.

While Rock was gone for seven years, how much complaining was done in this forum about how he should make some appearances? Now that he has, you tell us how boring he is.

I'll say this again: between RAW and Smackdown, the company puts on 4 hours of original programming a week, every week of the year. That's a lot of hours. Everything can't be to your liking.

Yes, we're the audience and we want to be entertained......but come on, already.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

Awesome Raw last night, one of the BEST in recent memory. As a fan of the Rock and a mark for the Attitude Era I absolutely ate it up last night, every last fucking drop of it; and if you couldn't find some enjoyment in last nights Raw I'd suggest you stop watching pro wrestling all together, perhaps a High School Wrestling match would be more your flavor.

The crowd was on fire all night long, and Rock proved once again why he is the greatest talker in the history of pro wrestling.

Vince managed to pull in a huge amount of big time celebrity's to wish the Rock a Happy birthday, and not only that; but the moment he had on stage with The Rock at the end of Raw and the Video package was an absolutely delightful moment, filled with real human emotion, something you don't get every day with Mr. McMahon.

On top of all this, the Cena/Miz match was off the charts, with a highly entertaining creative finish that pulled the emotional strings of everyone in the arena. This Raw had every fucking thing you could ask for as a fan of pro wrestling, and yet the majority come in here and bitch and moan with no point and no direction. I highly recommend you stop watching pro wrestling if you couldn't enjoy last nights program.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

I get why they are trying to shove Rock as a big deal in front of their crowds. The guy isn't relevant to a wrestling crowd any more and the core audience needs to reintroduced to him. However, the more time they give Rock more obvious it becomes that he doesn't have the creative range to cut mutliple and/or long promos. Especially in a climate in which the top guy doesn't just ramble off the same catchphrases every week.

 

[KnowYoRole]

I'm a big fan of Rock and I thought it was pretty boring too. Partly because nothing special happened. And what was he supposed to talk about? There wasn't really anything he could build up on and he already had his confrontation backstage with Cena. He did good for what he was given to talk about, which was virtually nothing.

And I doubt Rock is the egocentric person you all are making him out to be. He's not one to hog the spotlight for himself all the time, last night had a lot of Rock but I doubt he actually dictated what would happen. Besides, he was gone for 7 years, I doubt he was just trying to promote himself. He's just giving back to WWE, and I think Vince really overdid everything last night to get him to stay for longer.

And Rock does still have 'it' on the microphone, he proved that during his return promo.

 

[EStreet]

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

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

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

 

[candy girl]

i'm glad i'm not the only one who thought that last night's kiss the rock's ass appreciation night was ridiculous and absurd...... i mean yeah it was his birthday he's 39 years so what? people have birthdays all over this world doesn't mean shit!! all it means is you're getting older, not only that to waste a whole hour and a half on stupid skits having these different celebs come out and give birthday wishes to him, i mean i could understand if he was oprah winfrey, tom cruise, brad pitt, or some one like elizabeth taylor but not some fool who made a living running around wearing fruit of the loons hoping on men 365 days a year, then mcjackass come running out there grining like a chest cat and correct me if i'm wrong but i almost thought he was about to break down in tears, when he said thanks for comming home rock WTF!!!! comming home!!!! he stayed away for seven years do you me to tell me out of all of those years he couldn't have step in that ring and said hi, dog hi cat! that's what's really got me last night when i watched the show.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

You know what the IWC really makes me SICK sometimes. For months,hell even years the IWC was clamoring for The Rock to come back. Guess what he did and now that he has come back everyone is bitching about it. Jesus what more do you morons want?

I enjoyed the hell out The Rock last night he had me and everyone in Miami in the palm of his hand all night long. To the Rock Bottom/People's Elbow on Micheal Cole,to the Mae Young segment,to the Santino/Great Khali/Hornswoggle segment, and Vince coming out showing real emotion (you could see Vince tearing up) for the Video package.

I loved it from start to finish including John Cena/Miz and Kharma's RAW Debut. So if you are that upset with it then go watch something else and STFU.