GOALS AND ACCOMPLISMENTS – LOOKING AT RAW 12/20/11
By Revin Samuel on 12/20/2011 1:18 PM
RAW – GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS – 12/19/11
What the goals should be for this week’s Raw?
•I enjoyed TLC and I thought the booking was overall pretty solid. On tonight’s show I’d like to see an emphasis on promoting how great TLC was. Make fans who didn’t order the show, feel some regret. Also make fans who bought show feel like they saw something special. They should be doing this after every pay per view of course
•John Cena-Kane. TLC without John Cena was a breath of fresh air and holding him off the show is the kind of care WWE should take with all their characters. We don’t need to see every talent on every Raw, Smackdown or PPV. Cena feels a bit more refreshed today and hopefully he can sustain this through tonight’s show. The Kane follow up is also critical, is he going to talk? What will the reasoning be for attacking Cena and not the man who put him on the shelve?
•What’s next for CM Punk, Triple H, Dolph Ziggler, and Zack Ryder? I hope Ziggler’s title loss means he is headed for greener pastures like Rock in 1998 when he lost the IC Title to Triple H and then entered the WWE title picture. I think Triple H needs to be on television and he needs to be working if he’s going to be wrestling Undertaker at Wrestlemania. He didn’t look like he was in great shape at TLC and I’d like to see him in some type of match at the Royal Rumble. Zack Ryder was treated like he belonged last night, the big question is do they keep that up on Raw tonight
•Daniel Bryan has won the World Championship. Do they address this on Raw or save his first appearance for Smackdown? Since Punk was tweeting about he and Bryan being Champs together, I think it be nice for Punk to endorse Bryan on Raw
•The Miz and Alberto Del Rio. That’s two straight pay per view losses for the top heels on Raw and while I know it’s hard for WWE to resist, but they need to somewhat protect these two tonight
Show Breakdown
- It took me quite a few seconds to figure out that was CM Punk’s voice on the voiceover.
- I like Cole right away pointing out to fans “if you didn’t see it (TLC), you’re in for a heck of a ride”. Emphasis the ppv, very important.
- I mentioned in my goals for Raw that I hoped CM Punk endorsed Daniel Bryan and this looks like a good start for that.
- The crowd doesn’t seem as hot as I would imagine them to be and Punk looks to be begging a little to get a reaction. I would expect better from Philadelphia.
- I overall like this opening segment, as it was a rather unique introduction and the match they setup for later should be a good one!
- John Laurinaitis is really starting to get his character well and I’m enjoying him more and more in his role each week.
- I’m not particularly fond of them giving away rematches the night after a pay per view on Raw or Smackdown so hopefully this Orton-Barrett match is just an angle building to something.
- I like Cole giving the history of the Barrett-Orton program and noting Barrett’s two victories in Liverpool and at Survivor Series, while also saying Barrett dominated the match last night that’s a good touch to save face for Barrett after losing at TLC.
- Since when is the thumb to an eye an disqualification?
- It looks like the Barrett-Orton match was indeed an angle, although they did give us more of a rematch then I’d like to see for a pay per view I purchased last night.
- It was last year at TLC where Barrett was buried under chairs and buried literally and it is only now, one year later where he is recovery from that. Good angle overall to further the Orton-Barrett program, but still this program seems forced to me.
- Again, I like Cole emphasising TLC and significance of what happened last night. Showing the stills from Nash and Triple H was also a great touch. I hope we see Triple H tonight as I don’t think he should stay off television till Undertaker is ready to come back.
- No Natalya at the pay per view and again not on Raw tonight backing up Beth, interesting development following the burial she suffered at the hands of Alicia Fox on Smackdown.
- Alicia Fox’s theme music is worse than Ted Dibiase’s for a babyface.
- I assume this will be your standard one minute diva match that Alicia Fox will win and of course I am right. Cog in the machine...
- Alicia Fox getting booed as she should, as the people of Philadelphia clearly see through this cog in the machine garbage. Of course WWE will take that to mean they prefer Kelly Kelly, but nope, I think it’s just the overall way they treat the division.
- How has Sheamus had problems with Jinder Mahal? He killed him on Raw and beat him on Smackdown. Lawler saying Mahal has “risen to the top” just gives the announcers no credibility as I assume Lawler has no idea who Mahal his.
- Do they really expect us to take Jinder Mahal seriously when he’s been losing in two minute matches to Santino Marella?
- This crowd is either mic’d badly or they are dead, because they haven’t been hot for anything then again there hasn’t been that much to be hot for.
- Cena gets attacked by Kane and he comes out smiling the next week. This guy just doesn’t understand pro wrestling and it’s on him, because he has the stroke to make adjustments.
- Why does WWE try to find positive signs for Cena in the crowd when it’s clear there is a mass of boos? Who do they think they are fooling?
- Instead of focusing on Kane, Cena goes right to the Bubble’s obsession of trying to manipulate the audience to cheer Cena. The fan base wants to escape reality, they’d like to see Cena address Kane not do D level versions of comedy that Rock pulls off.
- “We have business and right now we should handle that business” – John Cena. When John Cena does intense mic work, he is at his best. It is his best attribute as a character.
- ‘Sexual Chocolate” chants are great. I wish Henry could react to that, but the over scripting doesn’t allow that and it probably wouldn’t be wise for his character to do so.
- Good little angle there with Kane and Cena, of course Cena stops selling the second Kane walks away.
- I like that Cole mentioned that it was Mark Henry who sidelined Kane, yet Kane is attacking Cena to keep us wondering why Kane is doing what he is doing. Cole has mentioned some nice small details tonight and that’s what a good commentator should do.
- Rosa Mendes looking mighty hot.
- The Usos vs Epico and Primo...say hello to your lowest quarter hour.
- I must say I do like The Usos war dance, but I don’t think the crowd knows enough about these two (due to lack of character development) so they are unsure how to react.
- Another great touch to see Kofi and Evan watching backstage, WWE hitting the minor details tonight.
- Does WWE want people to change the channel? They really shouldn’t be doing a rest spot in the middle of what I assume will be a quick match between two teams that don’t matter just yet.
- The Royal Rumble commercial is not all it could be.
- Cody just became my new favourite wrestler by noting the stupidity of the Santino commercial.
- Another good win for Cody Rhodes. I do question the layout for this show as they’ve had two segments that are perhaps channel changers back to back.
- I did have a chuckle at the look Laurinaitis gave Otunga after the Bellas gave him kisses.
- Another reminder emphasising how special TLC was. WWE is on their game in this department tonight.
- I would have saved this Big Show interview till Smackdown that being said Big Show is such a great performer, he comes across very sincere. Josh trying to get Show to lose it with his follow up question was another nice touch. I’m big on the touches today.
- As Dolph Ziggler comes out for the main event, I do have to say he looked amazing in the match with Ryder last night and his bumping was a flashback to Curt Hennig.
- The coded videos continue to be something different and unique for WWE. This is the type of thing where I’d assume having a Creative Team actually has a benefit.
- Cool entrance by Ryder, Bryan and Punk.
- Bryan and Ziggler could be an awesome match down the road!
- The Michael Cole heel character has been somewhat kept in check tonight, but he’s getting a bit deconstructive in this main event match.
- The commentary has hit a low point in this main event.
- Wow nice bump by Ziggler outside the ring from the Ryder clothesline.
- I was hoping Bryan would get the win to end the main event as he needs a victory after winning the title by just laying on Show last night.
What this show accomplished
The Good
• Minor details. WWE was spot on in handling alot of little details tonight from Cole mentioning Barrett’s past victories over Orton to Kofi and Evan watching the tag team match backstage
• TLC was made to feel important. WWE hit this bang on last night and made the audience who didn’t purchase the show feel like they probably missed something special, while letting those of us who bought the show know that what you purchased was important and worthwhile!
• CM Punk endorses Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan gets the win in the main event. I thought both of these things were necessary and well done!
•Big Show Promo. Big Show is one of the best babyfaces in wrestling right now. He just comes across so sincere in everything he says and does.
•John Laurinaitis. The character continues to grow on me that being said just like Michael Cole’s character’s main objective is to entertain The Bubble backstage, I think Laurinaitis presence on television is to do the same thing, because I just don’t think the casual fan watching this product cares about him
•The coded video continues to be a nice mystery
• John Cena-Kane. They appear to be moving this program along slowly and I don’t have an issue with that seeing as were six weeks away from The Royal Rumble. It’s not very often someone gets the better of John Cena in a straight up brawl, but Kane did here and so that’s a good thing if this storyline is going to take off
• Royal Rumble hype. I’ll give WWE a mulligan on this as we are a long ways away from this show, but they did mention it and incorporated that it is coming up into the Cody Rhodes-Santino in show storyline
• Philly crowd chants “Sexual Chocolate”...slow clap from this guy
The Bad
• The commentary in the main event almost ruined the entire show. Cole is just such a counterproductive element of the show yet he’s one of the most important pieces of the program. It’s like Vince McMahon doesn’t want to be pushing the guys he’s giving pushes to so he uses Cole to bury them all at the same time
• Jinder Mahal-Sheamus. Mahal has not been treated as any type of threat and it’s an insult to try and pass him off as a rising talent
• Orton-Barrett. This program just hasn’t clicked for me. They are doing all the right thing, but it’s just not hitting home for me
• John Cena is a goof. “Goof” seems to be Vince McMahon’s favourite word these days and Cena is the real goof of the company right now. He gets attacked by Kane last week and comes out smiling and doing bad comedy. Cena can’t do comedy, but these writers just don’t get it and continue to force feed us these stupid lines that John just can’t pull off
• The tag team match. You would think having a staff of writers that WWE would be big on character development, but it is another huge weakness of the company. The Usos have been around a while now and we still don’t know anything about them and now the same goes for Primo and Epico. It seems the entire point of this match was to show us Rosa Mendes, which I guess isn’t the worst thing in the world
What the goals for next week’s show should be?
• WWE seems to be on cruise control as we close out the New Year and I don’t really have an issue with that. I think the goals for next week should be to put on a solid show to close out the year, don’t bury anyone too badly. Miz and Del Rio need to have some heat put back on them. Raw is in Chicago and that should be great for CM Punk. Perhaps we create a new #1 contender for Punk and get an explanation from Kane on the attacks directed at John Cena. Finally I will request that WWE not deliver too much campy comedy next week if they are going to phone in the show
