When someone asked me if I could do 10 Thoughts on Raw this week, I said no problem. Now, as I sit here staring at my keyboard, I realized it would help if I had something to work with but since I do not wish to back down from a challenge, I will suffer along with Mr. Marshall who did the live Raw Report and provide my 10 Thoughts.
1. Kelly Kelly and Candice Michelle vs. Jillian Hall and Katie Lea: Please don’t insult my intelligence by calling this a wrestling match. It was nothing of the sort and of the four women involved, I could only consider Katie Lea as knowledgeable. Most diva matches are sloppy and boring and this one was no exception but it did attain WWE’s goal – bring out the lookers in skimpy outfits in order to get the live audience fired up.
2. Chris Jericho has excellent mic skills and last night was no exception. Enter Batista with sunglasses (were the lights too bright?) and diamond stud earrings larger than most drug dealers would wear and it’s on to the showdown coming up between Jericho and Batista at the next pay per view. Chris would win out on mic skills hands down although when Mike Adamle appeared, I realized his mic skills were improving.
3. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Charlie Haas dressed as Stone Cold Steve Austin: This may be an improvement for Haas who last week worked a parody of Hulk Hogan but I would like to know what Charlie has done to be relegated to degrading shows of a show of power for JBL. I realize there may be very few things for Layfield to do in the ring but Haas has talent. Stop with the jokes and let him wrestle!
4. Rey Mysterio vs. Snitsky: This match was scheduled to show everyone how Mysterio would face Kane, his opponent at the next pay per view. That being said, no one, including myself, would buy that Mysterio could literally squash anyone Snitsy’s size and that is exactly what happened. To make it even less believable, Snitsky appears in the corner of the screen prior to the match to inform us how much he likes to inflict punishment. That must be in his dreams because Rey waltzed all over him.
5. The Miz and John Morrison vs. Kofi Kingston and CM Punk: It is difficult, but not impossible, for me to say anything negative about a match involving Punk. Kingston and Punk did everything right against a team that should never have been put together in the first place. It’s great that Miz and Morrison have their little Internet show but it would be even better if they could put on a decent match. Punk was his outstanding self, making a complete recovery after slipping on the turnbuckle. Kofi and Punk are looking good as a team and would look even better if their opponents could work a match.
6. Santino Marella is funny, Beth Phoenix is amazing in the ring and the two do have a hysterical kind of chemistry that would be even better if I was watching a comedy show. Phoenix, who has spent time in the women’s world of Shimmer, is a very talented wrestler. She should have been in the first match of the evening pitted against Katie, allowing Katie to hone her wrestling skills against a woman who knows how to work.
7. Shad and JTG of Cryme Tyme were to face two members of Simply Priceless. There was no match, there was a beat down by Simply Priceless. A true wrestling fan appreciates a great feud, but this was a waste of time. If these workers have talent, please allow us to see them in action.
8. The last matches of the evening were Batista and Chris Jericho each in a gauntlet match and how original can we get? With very little time left in the two hour time slot, Batista and Jericho fumbled their way through William Regal, “The World’s Strongest Man†Mark Henry and “The Big Red Machine†Kane in what may have been the shortest two gauntlet matches in the history of pro wrestling.
9. John Cena is coming back! Videos appeared during the broadcast yet again as has become standard for each WWE show lately. We get it already…Cena is tough, he works hard, and he will be back. It is not necessary to show us the same video replays over and over again.
10. The entire two hours of Raw was a series of commercial pushes for the next pay per view and for this year’s Wrestlemania. Twenty years ago, the build up for Wrestlemania was exciting but with monthly pay per views and three WWE televised events every week, it has become mundane. Lack of action on Raw, ECW and Smackdown does nothing to make me want to part with my hard earned cash for the next pay per view. Mr. Marshall did a fantastic job of covering Raw even though I felt some of his grades were on the high end of the scale.
