WWE Raw Report
Date: 08/17/09 from St. Louis, MO.
The Big News: Raw was much better this week. Hallelujah.
Show Analysis:
Freddie Prinze Jr. came out to start the show. He put over being a lifelong WWE fan, referencing action figures, Coliseum Home Video and ice cream bars. That made him more likeable. He announced title matches on Raw and the return of DX. Santino came out dressed like the man with the hook from I Know What You Did Last Summer. He said he wanted to be in a movie and made references to She’s All That and 24.
This wasn’t really funny and the movies are decade old genre films, but it was light hearted and fine in my book. Randy Orton came out and refused to team with John Cena or even compete at all. Prinze said he wouldn’t be bullied and that the match was on. Orton gave him a back breaker and the fans chanted RKO.
Kofi Kingston beat Carlito to retain the United States Title. Rosa Mendes was in Carlito’s corner. All her mannerisms seemed geared towards getting attention towards her and away from Carlito, which is not what a valet or manager ought to be doing. Carlito worked over Kofi. Kofi came back with chops, a dropkick and a high double leg drop. Kofi hit a crossbody off the top but Carlito rolled through for two. Kofi missed trouble in paradise and Carlito hit the roll of the dice for two. Carlito went for the back stabber but Kofi avoided it and hit trouble in paradise for the pin. This was a good match.
Miz came out and said that he is a new man with a new attitude and new look. He announced that he would embark on a remarkable turnaround, culminating in his taking the United States Title from Kofi Kingston. If that’s what constitutes a remarkable turnaround for you, you’re in really bad shape. It’s like announcing you have a goal to make a movie that doesn’t go straight to DVD.
Miz beat Evan Bourne. Miz hit a clothesline and used a bow and arrow submission. Bourne came back with a dropkick, standing moonsault and flying knee. He went for the shooting star press but Miz got up. Bourne got on his shoulders but Miz finished him with the “skull crushing finale.” This was a good short match. Bourne is always fun to watch even when losing quickly.
DX returned to Raw. Backstage they made fun of Jillian Hall and Carlito. They went to the ring and soaked up the reaction from the crowd. As they were starting to speak, Legacy came out and jumped them. They beat up and laid out DX and hit HHH repeatedly with Michaels’ boot. This was exactly what they needed to do to give Legacy some credibility heading into SummerSlam.
Mickie James beat Gail Kim to retain the women’s title. Things started out well. They went for a series of rollups. Each went for a clothesline at the same time. Gail hit a huracanrana and missile dropkick off the top. Each woman went for her finisher but the other escaped. Then everything fell apart.
Mickie went for the implant DDT. It was apparently supposed to be blocked but wasn’t. So Gail took the bump in slow motion and then just got right back up. Mickie then went for a spinning kick that missed horribly but Gail sold it anyway. Mickie then used a simple forearm to knock her down. Mickie stood in the ring for a while looking perturbed then just decided to cover and the referee counted three. Mickie looked so unbelievably disgusted after this match to the point I felt really bad for her.
John Cena backstage cut another of his obnoxious, cutesy, comedy promos directed at Randy Orton. They should show this to wrestling school students as the antithesis of a money promo for a pay-per-view event. Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be the guest host on Raw next week.
MVP beat Jack Swagger via DQ. Swagger used some wrestling early and smacked around MVP. It then broke down into a brawl. The finish was that new WWE favorite: Swagger was disqualified for punching in the corner about a minute in. Why even do a match if this is what was planned? The time would have been better invested just giving another match 2 minutes.
Hornswoggle beat Chavo Guerrero in a falls count anywhere match. WILL THIS FEUD NOT END?! Chavo pursued Hornswoggle under the ring. Something happened there but it was unclear what because it was under the ring. Chavo chased Hornswoggle to the back, where he was eventually knocked out by a paint can over the door trap, ala Home Alone. Hornswoggle pinned him. Chavo accused Mark Henry of setting the trap, but then Macauley Culkin appeared. Yes, Raw is now at the point where Macauley Culkin is doing cameos in angles.
John Cena and Randy Orton beat Big Show and Chris Jericho. Freddie Prinze Jr. announced this would be a lumberjack match and selected a bunch of face lumberjacks. Show and Cena worked over Cena and then worked over Orton. Orton made the tag. Cena came in with shoulder blocks and the Cena slam on Jericho. He went for the five knuckle but Show grabbed him by the throat. Cena knocked Show off the apron and hit the FU on Jericho for the pin. Orton gave Cena the RKO after the match.
Final Thoughts:
As stated at the beginning, this show was a substantial improvement over the past two weeks of Raw. There was some good wrestling and the booking was better than usual. I thought Freddie Prinze Jr. did a good job overall, although it’s disconcerting that the guest host concept has degenerated into a simple ego directive for WWE to feel more accepted in the entertainment world. SummerSlam has incredibly little momentum, but hopefully it will do okay just based on the name and the history. After SummerSlam, Raw would greatly benefit from a fresh face in the top program.
The Big News: Raw was much better this week. Hallelujah.
Show Analysis:
Freddie Prinze Jr. came out to start the show. He put over being a lifelong WWE fan, referencing action figures, Coliseum Home Video and ice cream bars. That made him more likeable. He announced title matches on Raw and the return of DX. Santino came out dressed like the man with the hook from I Know What You Did Last Summer. He said he wanted to be in a movie and made references to She’s All That and 24.
This wasn’t really funny and the movies are decade old genre films, but it was light hearted and fine in my book. Randy Orton came out and refused to team with John Cena or even compete at all. Prinze said he wouldn’t be bullied and that the match was on. Orton gave him a back breaker and the fans chanted RKO.
Kofi Kingston beat Carlito to retain the United States Title. Rosa Mendes was in Carlito’s corner. All her mannerisms seemed geared towards getting attention towards her and away from Carlito, which is not what a valet or manager ought to be doing. Carlito worked over Kofi. Kofi came back with chops, a dropkick and a high double leg drop. Kofi hit a crossbody off the top but Carlito rolled through for two. Kofi missed trouble in paradise and Carlito hit the roll of the dice for two. Carlito went for the back stabber but Kofi avoided it and hit trouble in paradise for the pin. This was a good match.
Miz came out and said that he is a new man with a new attitude and new look. He announced that he would embark on a remarkable turnaround, culminating in his taking the United States Title from Kofi Kingston. If that’s what constitutes a remarkable turnaround for you, you’re in really bad shape. It’s like announcing you have a goal to make a movie that doesn’t go straight to DVD.
Miz beat Evan Bourne. Miz hit a clothesline and used a bow and arrow submission. Bourne came back with a dropkick, standing moonsault and flying knee. He went for the shooting star press but Miz got up. Bourne got on his shoulders but Miz finished him with the “skull crushing finale.” This was a good short match. Bourne is always fun to watch even when losing quickly.
DX returned to Raw. Backstage they made fun of Jillian Hall and Carlito. They went to the ring and soaked up the reaction from the crowd. As they were starting to speak, Legacy came out and jumped them. They beat up and laid out DX and hit HHH repeatedly with Michaels’ boot. This was exactly what they needed to do to give Legacy some credibility heading into SummerSlam.
Mickie James beat Gail Kim to retain the women’s title. Things started out well. They went for a series of rollups. Each went for a clothesline at the same time. Gail hit a huracanrana and missile dropkick off the top. Each woman went for her finisher but the other escaped. Then everything fell apart.
Mickie went for the implant DDT. It was apparently supposed to be blocked but wasn’t. So Gail took the bump in slow motion and then just got right back up. Mickie then went for a spinning kick that missed horribly but Gail sold it anyway. Mickie then used a simple forearm to knock her down. Mickie stood in the ring for a while looking perturbed then just decided to cover and the referee counted three. Mickie looked so unbelievably disgusted after this match to the point I felt really bad for her.
John Cena backstage cut another of his obnoxious, cutesy, comedy promos directed at Randy Orton. They should show this to wrestling school students as the antithesis of a money promo for a pay-per-view event. Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be the guest host on Raw next week.
MVP beat Jack Swagger via DQ. Swagger used some wrestling early and smacked around MVP. It then broke down into a brawl. The finish was that new WWE favorite: Swagger was disqualified for punching in the corner about a minute in. Why even do a match if this is what was planned? The time would have been better invested just giving another match 2 minutes.
Hornswoggle beat Chavo Guerrero in a falls count anywhere match. WILL THIS FEUD NOT END?! Chavo pursued Hornswoggle under the ring. Something happened there but it was unclear what because it was under the ring. Chavo chased Hornswoggle to the back, where he was eventually knocked out by a paint can over the door trap, ala Home Alone. Hornswoggle pinned him. Chavo accused Mark Henry of setting the trap, but then Macauley Culkin appeared. Yes, Raw is now at the point where Macauley Culkin is doing cameos in angles.
John Cena and Randy Orton beat Big Show and Chris Jericho. Freddie Prinze Jr. announced this would be a lumberjack match and selected a bunch of face lumberjacks. Show and Cena worked over Cena and then worked over Orton. Orton made the tag. Cena came in with shoulder blocks and the Cena slam on Jericho. He went for the five knuckle but Show grabbed him by the throat. Cena knocked Show off the apron and hit the FU on Jericho for the pin. Orton gave Cena the RKO after the match.
Final Thoughts:
As stated at the beginning, this show was a substantial improvement over the past two weeks of Raw. There was some good wrestling and the booking was better than usual. I thought Freddie Prinze Jr. did a good job overall, although it’s disconcerting that the guest host concept has degenerated into a simple ego directive for WWE to feel more accepted in the entertainment world. SummerSlam has incredibly little momentum, but hopefully it will do okay just based on the name and the history. After SummerSlam, Raw would greatly benefit from a fresh face in the top program.
posted by Todd Martin at 11:19 PM
13 Comments:
WWE could have used a fresh face up top for a long time now
It was Santino who got whacked with the superkick after Hunter put a trash barrel on Jillian. Makes up for the blue frock the poor girl was supposed to wear.
Carlito had the best match on the show vs. Kofi, but what heat he has may get leeched away by his association with Rosa. Some guys can't get a break, and Carlito is one of them.
Macaulay Culkin showing up was a real surprise. Chavo must feel like he was in a movie after that paint pail KO'd him.
Of course, "Home Alone" was nearly 20 years ago, as was "I Know What You Did Last Summer". WWE's always been a little off the curve, but this was ridiculous.
Let's see. It's not going to be a good night for Legacy at Summerslam. Orton's losing, and so are Rhodes & DiBiase. Show & Jericho will retain, but they must have something planned to have the US & Divas titles on this show instead of the PPV. Then again, last year, Mickie & Kofi lost their belts in a mixed tag (to Santino & Beth), so why tempt fate a 2nd time?
EGM3 says:
I'm feel so fortunate having the WWE announcers telling me what to think and how to react. For instance, Randy Orton attacks a guy for no reason and I'm told this is disgusting and reprehensible. Meanwhile, the Hair-Loss Kid kicks his boss, a little girl, and Santino in the face and I'm told this is funny. Frankly my conscience would label both guys as jerks, but luckily I have the over-riding super-conscience of Cole and Lawler to tell me which is which.
Following on EGM3's comment, Chris Jericho is a bad guy for accidentally punching HBK's wife in the face, yet HBK is a comedian for purposely kicking a young girl in the face.
Randy Orton is a bad guy for DDT'ing Stephanie and RKOing her, but its all fun and game when HHH puts a bin over a woman.
Plus, its OK to superkick Santino for having a laugh, yet Legacy attack DX and they are the biggest villains ever.
Just shows how hypocritical DX and the commentators are.
I also found out "Hall fo Famer" The Rock was a former US champ. Thanks for such information Michael Cole. Maybe if you did some homework and didn't reel off the same list you also use for the IC title, the fans may learn something. Tell us some other names that won the belt, like Edge, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, all the way back to real Hall of Famers Terry Funk, Bobo Brazil, Blackjack Mulligan. Give us some usefull info rather than telling us about Ric Flair, Steve Austin and Harley Race.
Raw this week was great, Freddy Prince would be welcome back anytime, a genuine WWE fan who wasnt there for the main goal of hyping himself up.
The main event was decent enough, but my hatred of Cena grew further at that cheesy promo.
What the hell happened during that womens match? 2 of the top womens wrestlers, wrestling much worse than Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox did just the week earlier.
Macauley Culkin? That was a weird sight. Is he a wresting fan and/or a friend of Freddy Prince?
Yes, Prinze did an admirable job. But why wouldn't he? Didn't he work for the company until somewhat recently - a fact somehow omitted from last night's broadcast?
Did I miss something?
- Matt in Anchorage
Since Raw is now more about the comedy instead of the wrestling they should move from USA to the Comedy Network now.
That women's match was just god awful. Mickie James has been in two stinkers the last month through no fault of hers (I think). I am not a big fan of hers but you have to respect her work in the ring.
Eh, OK show. But given what we've been getting lately, that's a step up.
"Mickie looked so unbelievably disgusted after this match to the point I felt really bad for her."
I don't feel sorry for Mickie or anyone else that ends up with a bad match ending like this. Hey, improvise a little bit, do a few more moves, and come up with a good ending, like a professional. Or, if you're short on time and your match partner just hosed the planned ending, stiff the hell out of them for the new last move. But don't just accept the lame ending then stand there with a boo-boo face.
The Macaulay Culkin thing was kind of funny but didn't make much sense. They set it up so it would be revealed that he was the one that rigged up the Home-Alone-2 type of trap, but instead of coming out laughing about what he'd done, he comes out with a straight face and tells Chavo, "That's not funny." Er...what?
It shouldn't be long before these E-list celebrities no longer want any part of the WWE. And who could blame them? Not one week after Seth Green's appearance and Triple H (who lauded him during the actual broadcast) labelled him a "hobbit." Now we get Prinze Jr mocking both Green and Jeremy Piven. Doesn't he realize he'll be the subject of ridicule on an upcoming episode?
Nice work, WWE. Bunch of selfish, egotistical, condescending bastards.
On the finish to the Divas match, Todd, I actually think the impact DDT was supposed to be the finish. Gail wasn't supposed to block it. I think what actually happened was that Gail's timing on the sell was off by enough to stop both women in their tracks. Gail was completely off her game from that point hence the miss mess on the Mick Kick. If you look, Mickie got that disgusted look on her face right after the DDT muck up. She knew - and post match I think Gail didn't want her arm raised because she knew that she fucked up AND that Mickie was pissed off with her and had every right to be.
But the finish was the only thing wrong with the match - unlike the "match" at Night of Champions where the whole thing was garbage, and we haven't seen Maryse since!
Bob, I can tell you right now that if Mickie had stiffed on Gail she would have got into trouble for it. Just ask Ken Kennedy! Okay - not the best example given who Ken stiffed on, but you get my point.
Why didn't they just go by Clash of the Champions, I mean I know it is a WCW thing but WWE took Great American Bash, I just think the Clash of the Champions has more ring then Night of Champions. It just sounds lame to me.
Also to add, I know this sounds kind of harsh but I feel like the DX beatdown wasn't enough, don't get me wrong I enjoyed it but I wanted more out of it like when the Horsemen would come in and destroy Sting or Dusty Rhodes and even NWO when they would just pummel whoever to the ground. The beatdown in my book wasn't enough. Where was the blood the massacre and of course the humiliation?
All:
I have my picks for Summerslam up on my blog (Land of Whatever). Check it out.
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