WWE Raw…Hit or Miss?

ukevents · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 1941

WWE Raw…Hit or Miss?

Jay Morey

Seeing WWE live was something I’d dreamed about. True, I’m a product of the Attitude era, and nothing would’ve pleased me more than being sat in the arena while Bubba Ray Dudley table bombs a forgettable diva and Mick Foley was at the height of his comedic powers as the Commish. Sadly that wasn’t to be. It has been on a creative downturn lately, lack of competition, stale stereotypical characters such as that of true talent Shelton Benjamin’s dire mother.

But what I did enjoy surprised me. Raw is the flagship vehicle of the WWE, and I had many high hopes for a night of great entertainment. Before that however we had Ric Flair come out and thank us all for our support. At least he wasn’t wrestling. Then the Heat taping. A fun hour of usually lower card wrestlers doing their stuff interspersed with useless promos. But Jeff Hardy opened the show and showcased his ariel moves with ease. It was good to see him back on form after all of his personal troubles. Mickey James showed that she is a classy robust talent in the ring. With a couple of great performances as ‘warm up’ I couldn’t help but think Raw would be something special.

Opening with Shane McMahon talking trash to Jose Mourinho was surprising and quite funny, but what stuck fast was the falling into old formula. When in a foreign country, try and belittle one of their own. So out comes somebody I’ve actually met at an All Star Wrestling promotions show and found to be nothing but polite, the genteel Jericho destroyer, Robbie Brookside. The guy’s probably waited forever to show what he could do in a WWE ring. So how is this veteran of indie wrestling respected? Get destroyed by boring Umaga and ego-tripping Vince. Showings from the dull Great Khali sucked any life from most of the crowd, eager for some respect for the tickets prices they paid. I actually forgot the women’s match, recalling only how good Mickey James had been previously.

There was time for concern as it appeared Matt Hardy had sustained an injury during his bout with dull Trevor Murdoch. His showing in a dark match for Smackdown the next night however allayed any fears of mad damage.

Lazy backstage skit from Edge and the man killing his own legend faster than Ric Flair, my personal hero Mick Foley, made it feel so much more slapdash and cobbled together than previous trips to England. Also, in timed breaks, having the trailer of new Stone Cold vehicle The Condemned shown twice did grate.

The end match was undoubtedly a crowd pleaser of immense proportions, with John Cena (the wrestler we all love to hate) going toe to toe with seemingly ageless Shawn Michaels. Must have been forty five minutes they went, (making up for the match a certain Mr. Orton should have performed in had he not been sent home…). They gave everything to put on a show, top rope flights, out of ring stair smashes, repeated attempts at finishers before actually landing them. Cena may be detested for being stale or dull, but as a wrestler he put on a great show and even took time to acknowledge the baying crowd at the end of Michaels win. Say whatever about his on-screen character, but as a man he appears to have many admirable qualities when it comes to fans.

So overall, it had to be a slight disappointment. But as it was my first time I can only look back on it with a little sugar coating.

Funkymonk · Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 499

I think Edge totally deserves to be champ right now. He's got natural charisma, a great image and is rarely in a dull match. Ther's no one currently better with a mike in their hand.
A lot of the time i think the WWE pushes the wrong guys. The other two champs, for example, are the boring Bobby Lashly and Cena who continues to grate with his poor mans Rock impression. Edge, however, is the real deal.
The WWE has been crying out for a larger then life personality who trancends the "sport" since the Rock and Stone Cold and i think Edge could be the face of the WWE if they let him. He's that good!