By Luke Parks on September 2nd, 2008
Pre-Show Notes:
As most people know Walter “Killer” Kowalski passed away over the weekend. His health had been deteriorating for quite some time now. I never got to see him wrestle but he was a big part of the industry. He owned a training school in Massachusetts and trained many wrestlers, including Triple H. While I did not know the man, I do know that he had an everlasting impact on the sport of professional wrestling. Death is tough to deal with at any level and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Theresa, and his family.
It’s tough to move from that but it has to be done. I attempted to watch TNA Impact last Thursday. While this is a blog about RAW, I feel that I should be able to incorporate other aspects concerning pro wrestling when I see fit. I think that TNA’s downfall is inevitable. There is a growing frustration among the big names backstage concerning the way TNA has been booked. I didn’t watch but maybe 5 minutes of the show, mainly because South Carolina was playing NC State and I’m a big college football fan. However, with the current product, it strikes me as a cheap imitation of the WWE and most of the Attitude era. The current idea is heading towards a Millionaire’s Club-New Blood imitation storyline. While I like that idea then, it wasn’t played out like it should have been. Isn’t that a common theme in wrestling: things not played out like they should be? Regardless, within a few months of the idea’s beginning, guys were turning on each other left & right, which is a common theme in TNA now. I say this again: Vince Russo needs to be fired and someone with fresh ideas needs to take over. Someone who has an understanding of the business but doesn’t have a checkered past.
Moving on, last week I ripped the idea of multiple scramble matches and rightfully so. I honestly think too many gimmick matches on a PPV takes away from the event itself. Hell, I’m just glad they didn’t incorporate a scramble-themed name into the event. Either way, 3 scramble matches is overkill and I think this will turn out to be a clusterf*ck.
One other thing I wanted to mention was the stupidness behind bragging about defeating NFL games in the ratings that WWE’s doing. I guess they think people are stupid or simple minded but it’s dumb to brag about beating a pre-season game in the ratings. It’s the pre-season. HARDLY ANYBODY WATCHES IT!!!
Now, let’s get to RAW is Blogged!!!
RAW is Blogged:
RAW is LIVE from St. Louis, Missouri!!!
Opening Segment: Randy Orton, CM Punk, JBL, Kane & Batista
Orton came out and ran down every champion of RAW. He said Punk was a “nobody” who came from a no-name promotion. Yeah, ROH is a no-name promotion. This brought Punk out and told Orton to stop screwing around on his motorcycle. Orton ended up leaving before JBL walked out. He said he would deliver a Clothesline from Hell on Sunday to win the title back. Kane came out and mentioned that he had been to hell but hadn’t seen JBL’s clothesline, he had seen Rey Mysterio. Batista came out and delivered spears to everybody. This was a pretty good opening segment that planted seeds for a Punk/Orton feud later on.
Match #1: Kofi Kingston vs. John Cen-aas
I have to admit, when I heard Cena’s music I thought it was damn near impossible that he would be coming out. Sure enough, Charlie Haas in his imitation gimmick made his way down dressed just like & acting like John Cena. This gimmick is funny for an undercard guy like Haas but I hope they don’t try to push it too much. After a while, he’ll run out of people to imitate. Kingston came out for his match. Haas went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Kofi kicked him in the head. Kofi then proceeded to hit his move set including the Trouble in Paradise for the win. Good but quick match.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Backstage, Randy Orton meets up with the Priceless Dream. He slapped Cody Rhodes and told them how embarrassing it was for them to get beat by John Cena and have Cryme Tyme steal their titles. Yeah Orton, that’s a pretty embarrassing deal. They teased a future faction, which works for me.
Elsewhere, Kane told Mike Adamle that Rey Mysterio had been destroyed and wouldn’t be at Unforgiven.
ECW Scramble Match Battle Royal
I hate pointless battle royals. Everybody gained up on Mark Henry. The Miz & Chavo Guerrero were eliminated first. Then Finlay was eliminated. Matt Hardy attempted a Twist of Fate but Henry just tossed him over the top rope. Um, that’s the most rare squash match I’ve seen, the battle royal type!
Winner: Mark Henry
Backstage, Chris Jericho is going over paperwork with his lawyer & Lance Cade concerning the Unsanctioned Match at Unforgiven with Shawn Michaels.
Match #2: Jamie Noble w/ Layla vs. William Regal
Noble got on the match and told us all that he would show his lovely Layla that he could win. I just like Noble, maybe because he reminds me of a friend of mine. William Regal dominated and I don’t know if this program will lead to anything but he should get a big program. Noble got the win via the roll up and then celebrated like he had won the RO…WWE Championship!
Winner: Jamie Noble
Match #3: Beth Phoenix, Katie Lea & Jillian vs. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly & Candice Michelle
Candice returned with her techno music, which I surprising like. What would ensue would be why TNA’s women division, despite the shitty booking, is miles ahead of WWE’s. While everybody else wrestled decent, Candice stunk it up. Candice botched what looked to be a swinging DDT. She botched the finish but picked up the win for her team. This was probably the lowest point of show.
Winners: Mickie James, Kelly Kelly & Candice Michelle
Match #4: Santino Marella vs. D’Lo Brown
Prior to the match, Santino said he had only 62 weeks before becoming the greatest Intercontinental Champion in history. Yeah, Santino’s SOOOO much better than the Rock, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, etc. His opponent was D’Lo Brown. In another quick match, Santino got the win.
Winner: Santino Marella
The Miz and John Morrison fought Cryme Tyme to a no contest before brawling with them. Priceless Dream joined the fracas and ended up getting their belts back. They showed them to Orton backstage, who smiled at them. I smell a faction!
RAW Scramble Match Battle Royal
They played up the fact that the chance of winning correlated to the people involved in the match. Now, if a sports announcer did that, I would laugh my ass off. Punk eliminated Batista and then JBL. Kane ended up Choke-throwing Punk over the top rope for the win.
Winner: Kane
Post match saw the return of Rey Mysterio and CM Punk throwing water on Randy Orton. My problem with this is if Rey has been destroyed so much, why have him return? Why not wait until Unforgiven?
In-Ring Segment: Contract Signing with Chris Jericho & Shawn Michaels
Words cannot describe this segment. These two work so well together. Michaels looked to have hit his head when he dove out of the ring after Chris Jericho. Just watch the segment. My words don’t do it justice.
I give this RAW:
3 out of 4 ring posts
The show was centered around who was coming & going and not much about Unforgiven. They need to fix that even though the injuries are so glaring. Good show overall.
“RAW is Blogged” Power Rankings
1. CM Punk
2. Triple H
3. Mark Henry
4. The Undertaker +1
5. Batista -1
6. MVP
7. Santino Marella
8. Chris Jericho
9. Jeff Hardy
10. Kane
Honorable Mention:
Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, JBL, Beth Phoenix, The Brian Kendrick
“RAW is Blogged” Match of the Week
Judgment Day 2002
Edge vs. Kurt Angle
“RAW is Blogged” YouTube Clip of the Week
Vince McMahon Tears Both ACLs at the Royal Rumble - http://youtube.com/watch?v=LOstbJq2W8A
RAW - Mondays at 9PM on USA Network
Unforgiven - September 7 - 8PM - Only on PPV!
Tags: Killer Kowalski, Match of the Week, Power Rankings, Unforgiven, YouTube Clip of the Week
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September 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 am
All in all I have to agree, except for one thing. I like that all 3 brands are doing this championship scramble because not only do we get to see fresh faces in the main events (on Smackdown and ECW at least) but it also takes up just one hour(+ intros) for all 3 main events which means the undercard is probably going to feature more fresh faces than we normally see at a PPV. Already we’re seeing a tag team championship match on the card, the last one of those was the cody rhodes/bob holly vs cody rhodes/Ted Dibiase Jr a few months back and before that, I can’t remember seeing one. This is of course unless Michaels-Jericho goes on for a while, but with the recent developments, sadly I don’t think that’s going to happen.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
that Tomas guy makes sense… fresh faces = good!
seeing Randy Orton again was refreshing. Good think it looks like their gonna continue with the next gen stable/faction thing.
haas’ gimmick is fun. haha. but yeah. you’re right. he will run out of people to copy soon.
santino is still funny
and
jericho&micheals=best thing this year
(2nd goes to edge,taker,lafamilia)
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
That slap Orton gave Cody was a mean one. If HBK’s injuryisnt that serious I’d like to see this go on for a little while more. Haas was great as Cena. I would laugh if Santino tied Honky Tonk Man. Candice is looking good. I’ve been thinking of watching TNA too and I agree that the downfall is inevitable
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
My prediction on the championship matches. More thoughts on the upcoming PPV>
RAW Scramble: CM Punk Retains, goes on to fued with Jericho or Orton. Failing that it will go to Batista, but I’m really thinking Batista and Mysterio are going to go on to fued with Kane.
Smackdown Scramble: I don’t know who’s going to win, but I will personally bet you a shiny engraved portrait of Abraham Lincoln that HHH drops the belt. I don’t know why except that my gut tells me so. If he does drop it it will probably go to Jeff Hardy, maybe MVP, with Brian Kendrick being the wildcard. No way in hell will it go to Shelton “I’m so bad on the mic that if someone said cut a decent promo or we kill everyone you love, I’d die a very lonely man” Benjamin.
Winner will probably go on to fued with the Undertaker and/or Big Show.
ECW: I’d like to see Mark Henry retain as I feel he has really come into his own since winning the ECW title, but it will probably go to Matt Hardy. It won’t be the Miz because they can’t break up Miz and Morrison right now, they’re too popular but I do believe it will probably come in the next few months especially if Matt Hardy wins. It could be Finlay, but I don’t think so. Finlay’s a road agent if he wanted a title he’d have put himself in a title situation long before now. And Chavo has his thing on Smackdown with La Familia (I really don’t even know why he’s ON ECW)
Tag Team: Cryme Tyme wins. I’d like to see it go to Team Priceless simply because I can’t STAND Cryme Tyme, but Dibiase/Rhodes really haven’t done anything to stand out beyond cutting a few interesting promos so I don’t think they’ll keep it.
Michaels/Jericho- Michaels goes over, but with recent developments 1. Its gonna be short and 2. given that Michaels is probably going to be out for a while with an injury then even if Jericho loses, he still wins.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
I think the Honk-a-meter was great.I see Santino tying it,and then losing it.Then he will have a crying fit.That will be funny.The 2nd generation stable should be good providing no more injuries.Speaking of injuries,I really hope Shawn Michaels isn’t hurt that bad.This feud has been awesome.One thing I noticed about Jericho from watching Raw nowadays and the Greatest Ladder Match dvd is that when Jericho tries to look pissed off or mad,he looks constipated.His facial expressions are great.Just thought you would find it funny.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Raw started off great in my opinion, and even though I had read the spoilers it was still great and fresh seeing Orton open the show, though I had forgotten all about his new music, I was sooo wanting to hear Hey nothing you can say, but oh well. Felt his promo was great and the way he insulted all the champions.
I agree with the others that Cody and Ted are going to be in a faction with Orton, I hope so anyway as I think it will only accelerate their progress in the company. However I was thinking perhaps Orton’s insulting of Glamarella may hint that they too will be a part of the faction? Would be strange but just an idea.
Santino was funny, divas match was well… a divas match. Kofi looked good but too quick of a match, Haas was funny. Promo wise it was a decent show I just wanted more wrestling and less BS battle royals.
I may as well add my thoughts on what will happen at Unforgiven.
RAW Scramble - CM Punk gotta retain here imo, if not he’ll be screwed by Orton…
Smackdown Scramble - Cant see HHH dropping the belt, and if he did whoever gets it would be shown a hell of a lot of confidence, if it were to happen though I’d say it will probs be Benjamin…even though his promos arent great, he’s on a role recently, and cant see it going to MVP, and its too early for Kendrick. Also I feel that when Jeff does get the belt it should be a mania’ moment.
ECW - Henry retains. I hope so at least, he’s been far better as champion on ECW than he was on Smackdown.
Priceless dream will lose to CT and this will be part of the faction thing I think, with Orton assisting them on regaining the titles in some way…
Really long I guess but what the hell.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I thought that RAW was great this week. Honestly, nothing was truly a downer except for the 6 Diva Tag match.
Anyways, I thought that the interaction between Priceless Dream and Randy Orton was superb! Esp. after they beat down Cryme Tyme. The looks on Priceless Dream’s face and Ortons said it all. Hopefully, something will come of it when Orton returns.
As for the scrambles, surprisingly I am really into them now. I do not know if it were the rules or just the overall vibe behind but I am looking forward to the scrambles esp. Smackdown and ECWs. RAW not so much but it might be a sleeper hit. I mean look at the Elimination Chamber from No Way Out from Smackdown. That turned out way better than I thought it was going to be.
I never thought I would say this but Mark Henry has actually become watchable and dare I say… enjoyable?! This feud with Matt Hardy has been good for him.
Also, it would be interesting to see how long Santino can go with the Honk-a-meter! It would be funny if he does break the record!
BTW, did anybody catch the sign that said; “Mickie James has me thinking Arby’s”???! I thought that was pretty clever!
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
I loved seeing orton return they really need a top heel on raw to face punk and now with michaels injured they’ll have Y2J too.
My predictions for Unforgiven are:
Raw scramble- Punk retains probably to feud with jericho until Orton comes back starts that faction and becomes world champ!
ECW- Who cares WWE obviously don’t after Summerslam but it will probably be hardys turn to win as henry will have to drop the title eventually and nobody wants to see him in singles action on ppv.
Smackdown- HHH drops it to feud with Khali why vice why??? MVP wins it possiby jeff but neither will hold it for long as undertaker ain’t on the card and i think he’ll be given a shot against the winner so he willm leave vickie alone
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
“What would ensue would be why TNA’s women division, despite the shitty booking, is miles ahead of WWE’s.”
Actually, the gap really isn’t that big anymore. Did you see that awful Wilde-Hemme match on Impact recently? Or last week’s tag match with the Beautiful People? They were no better than the recent Divas matches on Raw or Smackdown.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
“One other thing I wanted to mention was the stupidness behind bragging about defeating NFL games in the ratings that WWE’s doing. I guess they think people are stupid or simple minded but it’s dumb to brag about beating a pre-season game in the ratings. It’s the pre-season. HARDLY ANYBODY WATCHES IT!!!”
MNF did beat Raw last week, which is why WWE mentioned beating it the previous two weeks. Some of those games do big ratings, and Raw beating it is not a given.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
chris, the reason raw might beat MNF is because it’s a pre-season game. MNF always beats RAW every week during the regular season.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
Luke,
Ring of Honor is a no name promotion. It has zero recognition among the general public. It is a promotion that has a very loyal fanbase, but is something only the most fanatical of wrestling fans watch.
ROH is a no name company, deal with it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
“chris, the reason raw might beat MNF is because it’s a pre-season game. MNF always beats RAW every week during the regular season.”
Well, it should, given how popular the NFL is (why it is so popular, I have no idea). Pre-season games should beat Raw, too, just because the NFL is that big.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
i would like to see Santino get a match against Haas next week coming out as chartlino haasrella, with an over-sized uni brow. have them talk for a few minutes in the ring (haas will be doing an italian accent. i think this could be a great promo with santino’s talk ability), and have a quick match where Santino will win with a counter of the salute splash done by Haas, similiar to the way he beat D-lo “down” brown. (remember that Haas has lost in this gimmick immidiately after having his charecter’s finisher countered. primo held the ropes causing him to drop from the back stabber and went to the top for the crossbody, and kofi got behind him after an FU attempt, and gave him a little TIP (Trouble In Paradise).
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
i would like to see Santino get a match against Haas next week coming out as chartlino haasrella, with an over-sized uni brow. have them talk for a few minutes in the ring (haas will be doing an italian accent. i think this could be a great promo with santino’s talk ability), and have a quick match where Santino will win with a counter of the salute splash done by Haas, similiar to the way he beat D-lo “down” brown. (remember that Haas has lost in this gimmick immidiately after having his charecter’s finisher countered. primo held the ropes causing him to drop from the back stabber and went to the top for the crossbody, and kofi got behind him after an FU attempt, and gave him a little TIP (Trouble In Paradise). and if ROH get’s TNA’s place in spike if they wont fire russo, believe me they will be a major name company!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
sry for the double post
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
To be honest with you guys I think out of all 3 shows in WWE, RAW is absolutely the worse show out of them all. I mean to be honest I don’t no what the hell they are doing on RAW with the World Title picture it’s just one big as some people would say….CLUSTERFUCK!!!! And Dibiase/Rhodes suck in my opinion.
As far as I see Unforgiven panning out here are my predictions:
Championship Scramble(RAW): I can see CM Punk retaining to win the title.
Championship Scramble(Smackdown): Triple H retains WWE Title I’ll be surprised if any of the other 4 contestants walk off with the championship. I smell either HHH vs Taker feud or a HHH vs Big Show feud for the WWE Title. I see HHH holding the WWE Championship all the way into Wrestlemania 25 and then dropping the belt to either Hardy or Taker.
Championship Scramble(ECW): Hardy wins his 1st World Title enough said. Either he going on the feud with Morrison or Miz.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Saying “Shelton Benjamin’s promos aren’t that great” is like saying that The Great Khali isn’t that great in the ring.
Or that HHH has some small self esteem issues.
Or that Shawn Michaels’ body is only slightly banged up.
Or that Bret Hart has a tiny problem letting go of the past and moving on.
Or that Jake the Snake has a minor drug problem.
Or that Kurt Angle is just a little intense.
Or that Hulk Hogan is just having a minor spat with his wife.
Or that the Benoit family was just having an off day.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I was hoping that Mysterio wouldn’t be on Raw, and when he comes out at Unforgiven, he helps Kane win the WHC! He removes his mask and there is a Kane mask beneath it! Mysterio is a heel!
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
As bad as the injury to HBK sounds, it may play into the WWE’s hands quite well. HBK should go over Y2J clean this Sunday. But, after the match, Cade and Jericho take it to HBK and beat him down silly. Worse than all the other beatings. Afterwards, Y2J stands over HBK, in a bloody heap. They can announce that Michaels won the battle, but lost the war, and that he is out of action indefnately. He can be out his six months while rehabbing, and in the mean time, Y2J can become World Champion. HBK can then return at the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant and win the Royal Rumble match and face Y2J at Wrestlemania in his home state to battle his biggest rival for the World Championship. How bout that?
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I loved the opening segment between Punk and Orton. Actually, they’re little debate made me change my mind. Now I believe Punk will win Sunday.
I also think that people are being a bit harsh on Candice. This was her first match back and she hasn’t wrestled in months. Let’s see how she does once she shakes the rust off.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
hey Eloy like your idea, and by the time those 2 go at it again, it will freshen up their feud and definetly will be a money match for Mania.
The faction idea with orton and priceless dream is a great idea, and it will give priceless dream a good rub off of a young but credible randy orton. And to me has really has become credible especially after all of his “legend killer” storylines and his last title run. I would love to see Orton as champ in this faction and Dibiase/Rhodes as tag champs, with one of those ALSO holding the IC title. You just need a really good face faction as well.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I have to disagree with just about everyone. I thought RAW was lackluster AGAIN. It didn’t have a flare. While I will admit that Randy Orton was a refreshing sight and that I was happy with the tease with Rhodes, Dibiase and Orton as a faction and that HBK and Jericho were magical, I will also admit that there really was nothing to the show.
The Highs:
*Randy Orton running down the roster’s champions. Orton never spoke the truth more. Whilst it may seem stupid to run down the roster, it was good because it made you think and agree with the heel which is different.
*Kane arriving and saying that he had been to hell and he hadn’t seen JBL’s clothesline there. A funny line.
*Batista not saying anything, just spearing everyone.
*Kane and Adamle seem to have chemistry. I hope WWE pick up on this as it would be good for a storyline. Kane talking is fantastic but when he talks to Adamle is even better.
*The realism of the slap that Orton delivered to Cody.
*The faction tease.
*Haas’ gimmick. I could live with it. Just as long as they don’t go mad with a push (as Luke said)
*Santino’s promo, it was funny and strangely believable.
*Beth’s answer to Randy Orton’s comments.
*The contract signing. Like Luke said, words cannot do it justice.
The Lows:
*Candice’s wrestling, it was so sloppy. For a girl that was arguably the best womens wrestler last year this was not acceptable. I know some people have ring rust but it didn’t rain on her that much. Also, she’s in the opening video of Smackdown and she’s in the Smackdown MyNetworkTV promo’s. Is she on Smackdown or RAW???
*The actual Kofi/Haas match. It was pretty much a squash that didn’t prove anything other than the fact that Kofi should still be IC champ.
*The ECW battle royal. Why??? ECW have their own show. The match was slow and I was unable to get into it. By the time I decided to get into it it had ended.
*The Miz/Morrison Vs Cryme Tyme match. It wasn’t even a match. Cryme Tyme could have just came out and cut a promo and then have Priceless jump them.
*The RAW battle royal. It didn’t prove anything.
*Rey’s Return. If Rey had been beaten the way Kane said then there’s no way that he could have done all of that. He didn’t sell anything and his return should have been saved unitl Unforgiven.
OTHER STUFF:
I disagree Luke with your ringpost rating. I would have said that it was somewhere in the region of 1.5 - 2 ringposts.
Eloy, your storyline makes sense but its just a little predictable.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
“Also, she’s in the opening video of Smackdown and she’s in the Smackdown MyNetworkTV promo’s. Is she on Smackdown or RAW???”
Maria and Michelle McCool are in that MyNetworkTV ad that’s been running on Raw, not Candice. Where is she in the SD open? Off the top of my head, I know Michelle, Eve, Maryse, Maria, and Natayla are in the SD open, but I don’t remember Candice being in it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I think im right with this not sure but 62 weeks from monday night raw is the 11th January which is a monday.
so santino you hav got ages if u wanna be the best intercontinental champion.
not bad raw, orton is awesome cant wait till hes bk.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Loved the blog. everything you said, i felt Luke. this was one of the rare times when Orton had a promo and he wasn’t boring and monotone, maybe it was because he spoke everything that everyoe outside the E is saying…That opening segment is why they should allow Punk to talk more…Loved the tease of the youth faction. that slap was DAMN!…battle royales were unnecessary and the return of Rey was stupid. They should have kept him off until Sunday… since people were giving their PPV picks, I’ll throw my 2 dimes in:
RAW scramble: Punk wins
Smackdown: HHH wins
ECW: Hardy wins although I want Henry to retain and lose it to Hardy next month
Tag Title: Priceless Dream wins. They just got the titles back, not just from CT but also from Cena and Batista.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I liked the opening segment. I LOL when Kane talked about JBLs clothes line. This was a better RAW then last week. I think at Unforgiven RAW scramble CM Punk will win SD scramble I really want Jeff HArdy but I dont think it is going to happen this time I am going to be pissed because I cant afford it this month For the other matches Y2J will win. MHardy wins
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Kane cracking a joke was a nice little surprise.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 am
Good review blog. Not bad. But in my opinion this Monday Night Raw was one of the better wrestling nights I have seen in a long time. There’s just a few high points of the night that you have overlooked.
First, and I know you mentioned this, Luke, but you didn’t give it enough emphasis. Randy Orton’s opening promo was “excellent.” Before he was injured, his character had become a bit stale, but this promo was anything but stale. It was great how he ripped on faces AND heels. Very “Old School.” And when CM Punk came out, it got even better. From the get-go, you can tell that the chemistry of these of two is for the making of a HUGE HUGE feud (that is, when Orton returns). This makes Orton’s return even better for when it happens. We know for a fact that he has a great, fresh feud on the horizon.
How could you not mention the Santino’s new “Honk-A-Meter?” On a comedy scale, this was most likely the highest point of the night. It was fucking hilarious. And Santino’s surprised face was priceless when D-Lo missed the Lo-Down and he just laid on top of D-Lo for the win. And when Santino was walking up the ramp, he just kept shouting “I hate you D-Lo. I HATE YOU!” Ha ha Santino just keeps getting better and better.
Another funny point of the night that I believe went unnoticed was John Morrison mocking Cryme Tyme by doing his own little dance during their entrance. I keep watching it on Youtube. Funny as hell. I can’t wait until Morrison gets a huge push and has a real chance to shine.
I have heard a lot of people saying Mysterio’s return is being rushed due the current storyline he’s in and how it doesn’t make sense. First, it does make sense as Adamle explained that adding Mysterio was sending a message to Rey to see if he would show up because Raw needed him. Second, they had no choice with Cena being out. There actually isn’t anyone else on the roster that didn’t already have a match at Unforgiven or deserve to be in the match at all. And as much as anyone doesn’t want to admit it, his Raw return was pretty surprising, though it was teased during the Kane/Adamle backstage promo. We all knew he would return at the PPV, but on Raw was a bit of a surprise. It battle with Kane was awesome at the end of Raw. They actually worked really well together. His 619 around the pole and the hurracarana were sweet.
And last but not least, the teasing of a Orton, dibiase, rhodes faction??? Hmm. It could work, if they don’t make it a rebirth of Evolution. I mean Evolution was great, but we have already seen that. It seems that if they did bring them together it would be pretty similar to Evolution though. So maybe its for the best if they just don’t make them a faction. Don’t get me wrong, all three of them are great, but maybe just not as a faction. I just don’t want to see the same old faction where Orton becomes champ and Rhodes and Dibiase just hang out with him and help him cheat to maintain his title. See, the great factions of wrestling history were so much more than just that. Like DX and the NWO.
So all in all, this was a pretty entertaining night of wrestling. I give it “4 out of 4 ring posts.” haha
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
chris click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwjyEcC2tN8 for the mynetworktv promo
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
oops sorry wrong URL
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Here is how I would book WWE UNFORGIVEN
1. Tag Team Title Match- I would have Priceless dream go over by cheating somehow. Maybe some outside interference. CT deserves the titles, but not yet. This feud can run through the Royal Rumble, or maybe Wrestlemania. Priceless Dream will retain.
2. HBK vs Y2J- I would book HBK over Y2J cleanly. Y2J might be busted open, taking a pretty good beating, but after the match, Cade and JEricho take it to HBK. They Beat him down. They beat him down badly. Some face wrestlers hit the ring, including CM Punk to pull Y2J and CAde out of the ring. That BAD of a BEATING! HBK is out for the next eight months, see you in TX at Wrestlemania. More on that later.
3. Diva Championship- Who Cares!
4. ECW Championship Scramble- I expect Matt Hardy to win this match. This will make another brother jealous, and setup a possible HArdy vs Hardy match down the road. MAybe brother vs Brother at Survivor Series? Wait and See!!!
5. RAW Championship SCramble- CM Punk will win. BUT, this match will get crazy. I predict Batista will be the one with the win, until the final minute when Y2J and Cade come down to the ring to interfere. They will be trying to screw Punk, but will accidently help him, and Batista will get screwed. CM Punk will then go into a feud with Y2J and Batista and Cade can then Feud. I also expect 619 and kane to continue their feud, and at Cyber Sunday, a possible MAsk for a Mask match. More on that later….
6. SD! Championship Scramble- This will be the main event. Triple H will retain, clean. He will pin Hardy at the end. Triple H will celebrate with the title, until Vickie G comes out. She informs Triple H that at every WWE event, it is posted CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Well, tonight it will be changed. The Undertaker has asked for and been granted a title shot tonight. And it is a NO DQ match. GOOD Luck! BONG…..
7. Undertaker vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title- Triple H and Undertaker Brawl for about six, seven minutes. Triple H is starting to get the upper hand until La Familia come to the ring. They jump in, and start to beat down Triple H. JR is in shock. Taz is in shock. The Crowd is in shock. The Undertaker is telling them what to do. Then, the Canvas opens up and out comes EDGE!!!! He looks in shock and stares into the Undertakers Eyes. Undertaker laughs as EdGE spears Triple H. Undertaker then gets Triple H and tombstones him. 1, 2, 3. The winner, and new WWE Champion, The Undertaker. The Undertaker Stands in the middle of the ring, with the title as Edge and La Familia kneel down to the Undertaker. VICKE G is on stage with a cynical smile. SHOW ENDS.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:31 am
that last 1 is kinda silly… HHH-taker is a menia match.
i agree that PD and HHH will retain (even though i’m against HHH retaining). punk will most likely lose, and if any interference it will be a returning orton (sorry, not buying into the injury until there is proof its legit)
matt and jeff-like the idea, but both are too over to turn either one heel… maybe at menia it could work, but not in a feud, rather a 1-time match that is simply on for being a big-deal match. that mutual-respect-suck-up kinda feud…
diva championship-michelle actually HAS talent! maryse is a good charecter but bad wrestler-make her a manager! michelle retains, goes on to feud with either natalya or victoria.
HBK-Y2J: i honestly can’t predict that 1 since HBK is injured.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:54 am
La Familia de Ministry? WTF????
I hate the phrase “techno music.”
I didn’t see the whole show, but I did like Ortons promo, he seems to have matured alot and could see him as a main eventer for the rest of his long career.
I think we’re getting a little smarky here, with this hate of the scramble matches all taking place. It really does offer up different possibilities threw the night. I’m sure if we were all a little younger and happier with what we were given then the hate wouldn’t be so great(now that we all “know” everything there is to know about wrestling it does take away from it). I mean if you think about it, we don’t know who is going to win as opposed to say HHH vs Khali, or CM Punk vs JBL part 99. Lots of things can branch out from this match if they wanted to have it this way. Given 3 we have the chance to see what a good match is and probably a bad match is. But what would the ICW be without nonstop bitching.
TNA is barely a household name, if ROH got a TV I don’t think it would be this huge explosion some people think. Maybe years ago but MMA is the household product now.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Raw was slightly better this week, if not that much of an improvement.
It was awesome seeing Orton back, and not knowing about it, I marked out. Just his mere presence helps the failing Raw product, that speaks volumes. Anyway, it was funny hearing the crowd’s reaction to him - sometimes they booed him, sometimes they cheered. Guess that’s what you get when you’re a heel in your hometown…and right about everything you say of course.
All the matches were passable, but there was not one match I’m gonna remember one week from now…hell, I’m having trouble remembering them today. Only Charlie Haas doing a better Cena than Cena himself, D-Lo Brown rusting more and more every minute he’s in that ring and Candice’s botch-a-mania performance. The faster she gets re-injured the better. Preferably her larynx this time, so we never have to hear her “voice” again. She makes Jillian’s singing sound like …someone who sings well. Best female wrestler of 2007? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…the Wrestling Observer don’t know jack shit about wrestling. I bet yer ass she blew Dave Meltzer for that award…Kelly Kelly gets diva of 2008 I bet. Jamie Noble actually had the only “good” match of the night, due to his awesomeness.
Nice to see Kane win the Battle Royal, although it sucked. And why did they kill the last bit of sense that was left in the Mysterio/Kane angle by having him appear? That is stupid.
The HBK/Jericho segment…what can I say? That was almost real. I smell the best Unforgiven match being the “unsanctioned” match…with strong competition from the worst scramble match (Raw’s) and McCool vs. Scarecrow Maurice. Just when you think SummerSlam’s card was bad, this comes. Just book TBK to win the SD Scramble and it won’t fail as much as it will if you do not do it. Save us Kendrick.
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Basically, Monday’s Raw didn’t suck as bad as the last couple of weeks of crap, with singular thanks to the spawn of Cowboy Bob Orton. Seriously. If he weren’t on the show, it’d be worse than last week. And that’d be bad. It really shows you that Orton is on that level that he can actually make an impact on the show without wrestling.
6/10
September 4th, 2008 at 9:01 am
just me or do wwe always get a helluva lot of injuries this time of year?
they’ve got cena, orton, kennedy, umaga with michaels likely to out for a bit and edge being rested. (did i miss anybody)
and undertaker, rey and candice have just recently returned.
how i miss the days where everybodies around
September 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am
i don’t care who, as long as HHH loses the tittle i’m happy. EVERY contender in there deserves that title, and i actually think MVP has a chance to walk out champ, since this match just screams MVP win in either last second (or HHH pins for a 2 count in the last second where you know 1 more second would mean he remains champ, or have it like benjamin won the IC title when HHH was also pinning cena on RAW in a tornado tag handicap 3 on 2 match with cena & RVD vs. SB, HHH, & Chris Masters. i see MVP winning in 1 of the 2 ways which could lead up to menia having hardy vs. MVP for the title where hardy FINALLY wins his first major title (this had been a build-up since January). you can still have HHH vs. Undertaker in a good gimmick match (HIAC, LMS, etc.) not for a title. of course it will finally have the return match of HBK and Y2J after micheals rests his injury off, RAW Main event: WWE Champ Randy Orton (lets all pray for that) and Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase: “The Next Generation” vs. CTC in a winners take all match (cena-batista should’ve been here, but Nooooo….. they had to do it at SS. again could be a great blow-off match for a stable feud if done right. i understand its RAW, and RAW and right don’t mix, but still…
MITB: TBK, The Miz, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Mr. Kennedy (if still injured Ron “R-Truth” Killings), and CM Punk. (Punk and TBK go at it in the end, and TBK ends up getting the briefcase.
Edge vs. Matt Hardy, cause i thought this feud never had enough spotlight on it that it deserved, purely for the talent in it.
Divas Match - Champion vs. Champion (non-title): Natalya vs. Beth Phoenix/Mickie James.
Heel Batista vs. Rey Mysterio W/ spcial guest referee JBL (cause WWE has to give them all something to do at mania) so the card looks like this:
Opener: MITB. Winner: The Brian Kendrick
Divas Match. Natalya
Batista vs. Rey Mysterio: Batista wins via screwjob
Edge vs. Matt Hardy: (ECW Champion, Non Title): Edge wins via cheating
HBK vs. Y2J: HBK wins to end the feud.
Winners Take All: The Next Generation (this match is a 3 vs. 3 Tornado Elimination match. i wanted this to be 1 match for both titles): “The Next Gen” wins cleanly after a hard fought battle. Eliminations are:
1st JTG via Cobra Clutch Leg Sweep.
2nd Ted Dibiase Via FU
3rd Cody Rhodes via DQ after being caught hitting cena with the WHC belt
4th Shad after an RKO while cena is laid out. orton pins cena, who kicks out. a match continues from there with orton working on cena’s head.
cena FUs orton who kicks out. cena gets him up and gets RKOed for his trouble. 1, 2, 3. that way it gets to be a 1 vs. 1 match that is menia-worthy
WWE Title: Jeff Hardy wins, finally earning the WWE Title after the fans wanted him to win it for 15 months (from january 2008 to april 2009).
Main Event: Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Last Man Standing match. Tied cause both are out for the 10 count (c’mon, neither will allow the other to win!)
i don’t know ’bout you, but thats a menia i would buy!
September 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am
wow… got carried away
September 4th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
ok, wow, guy, is that the Unforgiven you would make or is this a future PPV u had in mind? i got hella confused half way thru it.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I think it WM which is over 6 months away, and who really really knows what could be going on then? What ever happened to just talking about Unforgiven?
Injuries are possibly more likely this year since everybody works rather hard at the beginning of the year for WM, and the road leading up to it if your involved in it. Even if your not involved somebody could get hurt/suspended and you could be moved up to that next level(talk to Punk about that). You work harder chances are things wear out faster.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:37 am
yeah i know, i wanted to talk about sunday but as i said, halfway through the SD! scramble i got carried away and went to talk about menia without even noticing that i went off subject
September 5th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I have never been a fan of Candice Michelle, but i actually have to say that we need to give her some credit. She is a playboy bunny, diva search loser and has just come back from a major injury. Sure it looked a bit botched but what do you expect with her credentials !!! My oppinion is that Kelly and Candice should be on Smackdown in the Diva’s division and people like Natalya and Victoria should be on Raw. Gail will Slide straight back into the womens title picture and if we are Lucky, Molly may come back, its all about Finally finding the right balance between the two types of Divas that are employed by WWE. Apart from that i completely agree that the 3 scramble matches are a bit of a let down, one would be exciting, 2 i’d reconsider ordering it, but with 3, i’ll just wait till Raw !!
September 5th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
6 matches. Unforgiven has just 6 matches. I am wondering if there will be a suprise match b/c this PPV might barely past the 2 hours mark. The championship matches total 60 mins plus 15 mins for intros. I don’t see the diva match going past 7-8 mins. The tag match? Another 10-15 max. I figured they would give HBK/Jericho ample time but now with the injury to Shawn, I don’t think we’ll get a 30 min classic here.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
For those looking for it, my UFC preview won’t be available this time around. The damn event just snuck up on me!
I will however be posting my Unforgiven preview later this weekend!
September 6th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Umm lets see Undertaker just came back and hes on the PPV, but hes been making an impact on SD, so I’m looking for something to happen with him on the card.
F. James, they want to have divas of all kinds on the 2 different shows, if not then they would have never made a divas title in the first place. They hope the model divas learn and can up there game to actually compete with the likes of the pure female wrestlers. Kelly Kelly is still super young so she has years to improve if they want to keep her around and build on her like an investment. If the WWE can just hire chicks that want to learn to wrestle and be divas I’d say its easier because you grew them from the ground up rather than bringing in indy veterans. Also when all the divas come from the same place and train with each other when they do finally step it up to the next level they have had alot of time with each other and can put on a better match.
September 6th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I have to say this weeks Raw was a big improvement. Buildup wise the show delivered.
The highs:
- Ortons promo and the opening segment in general. Good to see Batista cleaning house. SO good to see Orton back and teasing a potential feud with CM.
- Kanes clothesline from hell joke was hilarious.
- Backstage segment with Randy and the PD. I liked the tease of a stable. WWE needs stables badly now. It would make the show a helluva lot more interesting.
- Haas’ gimmick.
- The ECW battle royale may have been pointless and the fact that it was on Raw was messed up but the match itself was pretty good. Just 2 short.
- Jamie finally winning
- Santinos Honky meter and his hilarious win!
- PD showing that their no pushovers and taking their titles back. The build for this match has been pretty good. Morrison mocking CT was priceless!
- Rey Mysterio looked great. He really took it to Kane.
- CM Punk raising the tension between him and Orton.
- The Y2J/HBK segment. As Luke said words cant describe its pure AWESOMENESS. I CANT FRIKIN WAIT for that match.
- Overall the show was great promo wise.
The lows:
- The quality of the matches was decent at best.
Match wise the show wasn’t all that great.
- The Kane/ Rey angle making less sense than ever with Rey showing no sign of being “spiritually” dead.
Show gets an 8/10
September 7th, 2008 at 7:10 am
a little late with that review huh?