Hello and welcome back to Cheap Heat. I know it's been quite a while for the eight or nine of you out there who enjoy reading my stuff, but suffice it to say that I'm back and a little bit beat up by my first semester of grad school. The last three weeks have kicked my ass in more ways than I care to discuss. Suffice it to say I know a whole lot of stuff that I didn't know two weeks ago. Between little time, and not a whole lot to talk about in the wrestling world, I took a mini-break. After watching Raw tonight, though, and realizing that I AM DONE WITH SCHOOLWORK UNTIL AUGUST…. I realized I had some time to catch up with this little wrestling world.
The funny thing is, I've been noticing my interest in Raw dwindling over the last couple weeks. At first I thought it was just because I was preoccupied with having so much crap to do. But, nope… watching tonight I realized what it was.
Raw is damn boring.
Nothing amazing or fun happens on Raw anymore. They're the only national promotion in the US now, and they're putting on shows like they damn well know it. I'm not one of the web writers who think the Austin heel turn sucks. In fact, I'm a big fan of "Do Unto Others" Austin. I mean, the stuff that they're doing is necessary to solidify a new character. Austin doesn't act much different than he used to, except he scampers away when the other guy hits the ring. They need to get everyone to realize that the breaking glass means it's time to boo, not cheer. This process will takes a while. The only problem I have is just plain bad story telling. You're telling me that DTA Austin is now:
1. Trusting the guy who tried to kill him. This whole thing would have made a lot more sense if it was done behind HHH's back and the face turn on Raw actually happened. H doesn't have to compete with the Rock for face heat if the Rock isn't there.
2. Coming out to the "No Chance in Hell" music that was written about him for the Royal Rumble a couple years ago.
3. Apparently going to be on the same team with the guy who actually did run him down.
4. Austin's character would have allowed McMahon to orchestrate this whole thing… and then turn on him. That's what Austin does. That's what Austin ALWAYS does… but it's different this time? I still want to know why. Why, this time, does Austin do all this and NOT give McMahon the Stunner?
But, I kind of strayed from the point. I understand Vince wants all the boys in the WWF locker room to know they are still his boys. That NO ONE's job in the WWF is in jeopardy because he got some new talent… but how about throwing us some kind of bone? Do something to liven up Raw. Let Shane show up with anyone from WCW. You're going to tell me that Shane has an entire locker room full of talent wasting away, and he didn't bring ANY insurance to Backlash? That's not in character either.
Right now, they're in the midst of establishing two unstoppable heels. And since we have an established face, we're set for Judgment Day. But very soon after, someone else is going to have to be thrown in the mix. Austin/Undertaker got the WWF through most of the year after Wrestlemania 14, but Austin/Undertaker is not going to get then through another entire year. You have guys sizzling in the undercard who are more than ready to make a run at the top spot.
Benoit: Has surpassed any expectations I had for him when he made the jump to the WWF. He's already "beaten" the Rock and won the title twice. He's beaten Vince's golden boy Kurt Angle. He's flew past Chris Jericho in push status. In fact, I COULD see him taking the IC title from HHH sometime after Judgment Day. Apparently, we're leading to another version of Angle/Benoit for Judgment Day, but sometime soon after.
Jericho: His schtick is getting old. I still like him, but he's lame. Jericho needs something to freshen him up. He's been stuck in pointless feuds since Kane. His stuff with Regal is a good step up.
Jeff Hardy: I see two problems they need to fix before Jeff Hardy can become a top contender. The first is he needs to work on the cardio. He's too used to having a tag partner and being able to rest mid match. You can watch Benoit work a match for a half hour and barely be sweating. Jeff Hardy's moves are high energy, but he runs out of energy too quick. The second is obvious. His mic skills need improving.
Test: He's got the size, he's got the talent, he's even got his own logo. I just want to know who he pissed off when he went from involved in the top angle in the federation, to forgotten about. Every match he wrestles against HHH, I always expect it to suddenly be "his time." Where he gets that surprise victory against H and starts feuding with him. The night he called the cops, for example, was a perfect time. I guess the injury angle is the start… but I've thought it before and been wrong, so I'm not banking on it this time either.
Edge: Is kind of forgotten about in the tag team division, but he has all tools required, too. The problem is, no one is going to take him seriously with a surfer dude gimmick.
I just want Raw to be interesting again. When they had Nitro breathing down their necks, they kept it interesting. Oddly enough, they haven't gotten any of Nitro's audience and seem to be losing some of their own. They may not have Nitro to compete against, but they do have the short attention spans of their target demographic. If they plan to put on boring, half hour monologues and run on cruise control for the rest of the year, they're going to see that target demographic find something else to interest them.
