Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
**********
ENOUGH!!! That was putrid. Awful! Abysmal! Abominable and unacceptable. I have a 42 inch plasma television - how am I supposed to watch RAW on my TV if I have to look at that PERSON in the last segment.
Seriously - enough. You can't come up with anything - so we just go back to two years ago. At least we didn't go back to three weeks ago like we normally do. So, here's Eric Bischoff who a year ago John Cena threw in a dumpster coming back to RAW to take over again. And again here we go with ego-centric Bischoff going over the top booking all the heels to go over in stupid lame-ass obvious fashion only to have DX rain on his parade in the end. If you did not know that DX was gonna screw Bischoff at the end then you are either a six year old child or a moron or have never watched wrestling before tonight. Enough with the senseless despicable, tasteless, and deplorable violence on Maria. What exactly does that prove. Enough with the 70 year old wrestlers. Duggan and Piper were stars 25 years ago. Enough with people who should be pushed like Chris Masters having to beat announcers while handcuffed to the rope. If Masters is supposed to be the next big thing - he should be defeating Carlito; not a 60 year old announcer handcuffed to the rope. Enough of teasing JR being fired. We all know he doesn't get fired - we all know he has an iron clad contract this time around - the joke is old - very old - and very very very stupid. And "K-Fed" - whose only claim to fame is being married to Brittany Spears (for now - that'll probably end in 2 weeks); well putting him on TV in these roles is WORSE than David Arquette. McMahon couldn't wait to jump on Bischoff for that. This is no better - as a matter of fact this is worse. Far worse. If you're going to steal ideas - steal good ones - ones that actually drew money.
You know, I was a college student during the heart of the Monday Night Wars. And Monday night was party night. Three TVs lined up side by side - multiple VCRs going (there was no TIVO then). We arranged our schedules around the wrestling. It was awesome - we were scared to death to even get up to go to the bathroom fearing we'd miss something. And we'd have to watch both shows over the next day just to make sure we didn't miss anything. Not anymore - and no its not because I have a career or family responsibilities or I'm eight years older - its because the product is awful - beyond awful. I watch RAW starting at 10:20 on my DVR and still manage to catch up to the main event - how pathetic is that - and I know I am not the only one. In those days I wish I had the DVR device to record the precious moments. These days I can't hit the delete button fast enough.
And what is the point of these PPVs. Instead of a monthly live PPV - save yourself the cash. Since we get all the stuff for free the next night; and since the DX introduction has to be longer than four matches combined - don't produce live PPVs anymore - just do six live shows. And for the other six PPVs go back and show matches from the 1985 or 1986 Great American Bash - you know the entertaining stuff. I GUARANTEE you'll get more buys - and think about all the production costs and satellite time you'll be saving.
Since I wish to continue to be a true wrestling fan - I have developed a new Monday night party habit. After I watch today's current dreck in fast forward - while having the football game on the split screen at the same time - I then go into my closet. And in my closet I find tapes from 1986 - UWF tapes with Jim Ross, Michael Hayes, Rick Steiner, Sting, Hacksaw Dugan, and so on. And I watch that. (How scary I saw Duggan wrestle tonight and will watch Sting on Thursday - different topic for a different rant.) And then I grab some old RF stuff. Since Lawler wrestled tonight, I looked for some Lawler stuff. And I found a doozie. I found the infamous Tommy Rich under the ring match. Buck has told the story of this match numerous times. The quick version - it was hair vs hair - Lawler vs Austin Idol managed by "Paul E Dangerly." Tommy Rich flew in from Japan earlier in the day - he was snuck under the ring around 11am - and passed out. He woke up when the matches started and waited for his cue. They had the special thundercage up - surrounding the entire ringside area including the floor. Well Lawler won and the stip was he had to have his hair shaved. Well back in Memphis those people cared. It was a standing room only crowd. And they made that crowd so livid that the fans shook the cage. Some of them even hopped the rails and started climbing the cage - a near riot - Lance Russell spent 5 whole minutes pounding on the bell in an effort to calm the crowd which of course did not work. There was no million dollar production value - no Hollywood writers - plain old wrestling. Simple and basic. Fun and entertaining.
Vince McMahon wouldn't know professional wrestling if he was locked in a windowless cage for 36 straight hours watching nothing but old Memphis and UWF tapes.
And so we are stuck with this. At least until Vince pisses off the wrong person at NBC - and then we are stuck with nothing.
Jeff Wirtheim
**********
WWE caught a break tonight. Coming off a weak PPV and having the worst possible MNF matchup over on ESPN, the WWE had the opportunity to put on a great show. Add to it the traditional hot crowds in Ohio, this had the makings for something special. The WWE responded by possibly producing the worst of the 700+ RAW programs. From start to finish, I couldn't believe the writers and wrestlers were putting us viewers through this.
Edge, usually a strong promo, getting cut off by "GM for a night" Eric Bischoff? The match for the tag titles had some promise but we'll get to that later. And wasn't Eric Bischoff fired for the exact same shenanigans he pulled tonight? Must be that short-term WWE memory thing again.
If you didn't see Hardy losing the strap tonight, please contact me because I have a very sturdy bridge in Kansas for sale really cheap. And why not make a title change on the PPV, where it belongs, as opposed to free TV? I didn't buy the PPV last night and I am enjoying the "beverages" I was able to purchase with my savings. And as I write this, I need that beverage.
I sure am glad creative has such a definite direction for Carlito. Even much more so for Shelton Benjamin. What are we going to have next week? Benjamin complaining about black on black crime? If Vince McMahon can't figure out why advertisers shy away from him, he should take a serious look at that entire segment.
Umaga is a beast, I know this. I don't need to see him beat up whatsherface. Then out comes Cena and they want to tease a Cena/Umaga program? Then Cena accepts a match with whatshisname? Oh let me shell out good money to pay for that classic!! I got some news for those that make these decisions, this match isn't going to sell any rap CD's between now and New Year's. At this point, I had my first beverage.
Eugene, Eugene, Eugene. It's about two years too late for you. But while Eugene the monster seems interesting, I'm sure we'll see Hacksaw Duggan try to make amends and get sucker punched for the next three weeks. And then we get the Kenny breakup tease buildup and we are rewarded by a happy Spirit Squad united after this "Big" win.
I've already wasted enough cyberspace talking about Lita/Mickie. Then we segue into the main event. If you didn't see DX making the save, please scroll up about my bridge for sale. I honestly hoped to see a tag title change because as much as Flair and Piper have meant to wrestling, this just completely kills what was left of the tag team division. Having the straps on Edge and Orton could lead to some fascinating feuds and storylines. Plus it would keep Edge hot. Instead, the last impression from RAW is a fat guy, in a yellow thong, with green paint on his rear end, gyrating on my television screen.
I should have watched the football game.
Heath Jacobs
Elite Subscriber
Baton Rouge
**********
Are WWE’s writers even sane these days?
Yet another awful raw, with the worst booking I've ever seen since the demise of WcW. We start with probably the only ok segment on the show with Edge, Orton, Flair and Piper. Then it is announced as a No D-Q main event, sounds quite interesting…
Next its Johnny Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy only Bischoff reverses the decision and makes it a no D-Q…wow that’s so original….. Then they take the belt off the best intercontinental champion in the past few years and put it on...nitro?.....he isn’t nearly a good enough draw to replace someone like Hardy especially since Carlito got basically the entire peoples vote and not even he won. And just curious but didn’t Bischoff fire Nitro on raw long ago? Yeah so why is he helping him out now???
Then to make this show worse a great moment to break up a terrible stable comes up and WWE doesn’t even capitalize on it…..and in turn we get a Eugene heel turn...well that makes things so much better, hurray for WWE
K-Fed and his promo….well at least his promo is better than anything Cena can offer and to make it better K-Fed and Cena aren’t going to fight until New Years, I swear to god none of this makes any sense whatsoever.
And to make things much better we get Maria beaten up by Umaga, and to top it John Cena comes out and says who he is multiple times and delivers another awful promo, so why the hell would WWE even think of keeping him as champion because he cant wrestle either
Now we get another pointless squash of Jerry Lawler but get this: HE'S HANDCUFFED TO THE RING. What another waste of TV time which is doing nothing for anyone.
Shelton and his you hate me because im black gimmick is absolute nonsense, but at least Carlito gave me a laugh in that promo.
CRYME TYME STOLE BENJAMIN'S BLING OH MY GOD!.......waste of time....
Yet another repetitive stipulation with ‘you get screwed over face character because Bischoff said so.’ And what really pisses me off is that those two girls have really good matches together and its getting ruined by this Vince Russo like BS.
I thought the main event was ok but after seeing all the screwing the faces over segments tonight it really ruined it for me. And what amazes me is how they didn’t repeat the entire booking of the show and take the titles off of the face characters. I got mad however, when Piper and Flair were cast aside so that a fat WWE writer and shake his stuff on Bischoff which I might add is quite disgusting
Overall this show stunk more than ever. The only show today that seems somewhat enjoyable today is iMPACT and even then there strange match rules seem to drive me away. I like seeing Piper and Flair as a tag team, as well as the tag champs. I hope they keep those belts for quite awhile.
The show gets an F
Written By Josh Hardy
Vancouver Canada
