WWE Raw Report
Date: 05/03/10 from Jacksonville, FL.
The Big News: Chris Jericho and Miz have formed an alliance.
Show Analysis:
Batista came out to start the show. He said that he’s only the number one contender when he should be champion. He pointed out what bullshit the duct tape finish to the last man standing match was. He called it the most embarrassing moment of John Cena’s life and something that Hornswoggle would do. He then vowed to win a beat the clock challenge to pick the stipulation for his match with John Cena at Over the Limit.
Sheamus joined Batista in the ring. He said that Batista lost at Extreme Rules while he won. He challenged Batista to a match with Batista’s title shot on the line. Batista responded that Sheamus had his shot and blew it. Sheamus told Batista that this wasn’t over, and that Sheamus would be champion again sooner than Batista thinks. This was a very good opening segment. It was much more intriguing than the average WWE argument over a title shot. I also like the idea of Sheamus being the one to put Batista out of action. It would mean more than having Cena do it.
Batista beat Daniel Bryan in 5:06 in a beat the clock challenge. Miz was supposed to be the opponent for Batista. He said he would like to wrestle Batista but that he was injured from Big Show’s punch. He had a doctor’s note, which was a piece of paper with “doctor’s note” written in big handwriting. That was good comedy. Miz then introduced Bryan as the opponent. Michael Cole of course buried Bryan, but Bryan grabbed the microphone and vowed to make Batista tap out.
Batista went for the Batista bomb quickly but Bryan reversed into a pin attempt. Bryan applied an ankle lock but Batista got out. Bryan tried a sleeper but Batista threw him off. Batista used some hard Irish whips. Bryan countered with a guillotine but Batista threw him off again. Batista rammed Bryan into the ring apron and hit a head over heels clothesline but Bryan kicked out. Bryan retaliated with punches and kicks but was caught with a boot from Batista. Bryan landed a high kick and applied a modified shoulderlock/crossface. Batista got to the ropes.
Bryan started stomping Batista, but Batista kicked out his leg. Batista then hit the Batista bomb for the pin. Batista gave Bryan another two Batista bombs after the match for good measure. This was a good match and certainly better for Bryan than a lot of his other losses. However, there comes a point when a wrestler has lost so much that they simply cannot be helped by a “good showing” in yet another loss. And it’s never good for a face to promise to do something and then fail.
Guest host Wayne Brady approached Eve, who was doing a photo shoot backstage. Brady said that he loves Raw and loves wrestling. Ixnay on the estlingwray, Ayneway. Sorry, that last one was kind of pointless. Jillian Hall came in and did some bad singing before Brady got rid of her. While this was going on Maryse took Eve’s title and hit Eve with it.
Edge backstage wanted to show footage of his live sex gimmick with Lita or his TLC matches. The production guy said no, this was just too edgy. Apparently he didn’t actually watch the segments in question. Edge said that he’s rated R, not PG. I hate to break it to you, Edge, but you’re barely PG-13 at your worst. But I guess that’s someone else’s gimmick anyway. Edge said that this was live TV so he would do whatever he wants and bring about controversy. A doubtful claim.
John Morrison beat Ted DiBiase. Prior to the match, DiBiase talked about offering R. Truth a better life and made fun of Truth’s song. He said that he will hire an assistant and that assistant will take out Truth. Morrison clotheslined DiBiase to the outside and hit a springboard 450 plancha which drew a “that was awesome” chant from the crowd. DiBiase then just let himself be counted out.
Morrison said this wouldn’t be the start for him on Raw. He challenged DiBiase to come back to finish the match and said that if DiBiase won he would be DiBiase’s Virgil. DiBiase returned and worked Morrison over. DiBiase went for Dream Street but Morrison got out. DiBiase hit a power slam and head over heels clothesline for two.
DiBiase grabbed the cobra clutch again but Morrison ran up the ropes and cradled DiBiase for the pin (the Steve Austin/Bret Hart finish from Survivor Series 1996). DiBiase jumped Morrison after the match but Truth made the save. This was a good match and I liked the addition of the stipulation to add drama to the segment.
John Cena beat Wade Barrett to win the beat the clock challenge. Chris Jericho was scheduled to be Cena’s opponent. Jericho said he wouldn’t pull himself away in the same way Miz did. Rather, he explained, he has beaten Cena so many times that doing it again would be a waste of his time. He said he had a handpicked opponent for Cena in Barrett.
Cena went for the FU quickly but Jericho got on the apron. Cena knocked Jericho off and threw Barrett on Jericho, but as Cena pursued Jericho provided a distraction that allowed Barrett to take over. Barrett used really basic offense, mostly punches and kicks. He hit one back breaker.
As this was going on Jericho did a great job putting over Barrett and berating the announcers at ringsider. He was so entertaining. Cena then all of a sudden caught the STF and Barrett tapped with 30 seconds left. This wasn’t a good match. Cena was going to announce the stipulation for his match with Batista when Sheamus came out and laid Cena out. So we’ll have to wait to find out.
Maryse beat Nikki Bella in a short match. Nikki threw Maryse into the turnbuckle a few times. She went to the top but Maryse threw her off and hit a DDT for the pin. Afterwards, Maryse showed photos on the screen of her mocking an unconscious Eve at the photo shoot backstage. That was amusing. Eve went after Maryse but was held back by a referee.
Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder. Ryder said that the big news of the draft is that he is still on Raw. He proclaimed himself single and ready to mingle (since Rosa Mendes was drafted to Smackdown). I wonder what percentage of the audience even knows who Ryder is, who Mendes is, that they were together or that Mendes was drafted to Smackdown.
Alicia Fox and Gail Kim were invited to ringside to watch Ryder’s match. Henry came out as the opponent. Henry hit a body slam. Ryder used a dropkick off the second rope but was caught with a clothesline and the world’s strongest slam for the pin. Gail and Alicia were unimpressed with Ryder and left with Henry.
To me, the goal of a wrestling show should be to try to get people over. These humiliation segments, however, are always focused on mocking one guy rather than getting the other over. The whole focus and take home point here was that Ryder is a loser rather than Henry is a winner, and to me that’s a counterproductive mentality.
Chris Jericho and Miz backstage shared their aggravation over the Big Show. They took turns making fun of him. Miz lamented that they couldn’t get revenge on him because he’s on Smackdown. That’s never stopped Jericho (or 800 other wrestlers before). Anyway, Jericho had a plan and went off to discuss it with Miz. So apparently they are going to go after the tag titles as a way to go to Smackdown and get revenge on Big Show. I like that angle.
They did some “comedy” backstage with Wayne Brady, Santino, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal and Goldust. Santino tried to talk Kozlov out of teaming with Regal because Regal turned on Kozlov before.
Hart Dynasty beat William Regal and Vladimir Kozlov. Jericho and Miz did commentary, and Jericho in particular was great again. The heels worked over Tyson Kidd. Kidd got the tag to Smith. Regal tried to cut off Smith but was caught in the sharpshooter for the submission. Miz ran in afterwards and was caught by Smith, but Jericho then came in and gave Smith the code breaker.
Edge’s Cutting Edge was the final segment. Edge labeled himself the most controversial wrestler in the history of WWE. What exactly is controversial about him? That he broke up Matt Hardy and Lita and did a segment once that teased but didn’t deliver nudity? Edge then explained why he attacked Randy Orton. It didn’t make any sense to me.
Edge said that he was working towards the Smackdown title and was angry that he was drafted to Raw. Thus, he attacked Orton as an act of defiance so he would become talked about. That reminds me of the time I was angry at my cable company so I gave a dirty look to the guy at the Laundromat. Wayne Brady then came out. I don’t really understand the why on that either. He apparently wanted to play around and cut a joking promo. Brady seemed congenial enough and Edge was nice to him, but Randy Orton came out and gave Brady an RKO for some reason.
Edge told Orton he had to make a statement, and referred to their tag team. He said that they could team again and dominate. So why didn’t you spear Sheamus or Batista or Cena? Edge then said he wasn’t planning to spear Orton but now he is glad he did. Edge said he did everything he was supposed to coming back from injury but wasn’t fully supported, while Orton doesn’t care about anyone but gets the fans’ support. Umm, you were more over as a face than Orton, buddy.
Orton went for the RKO but Edge hit a big boot. Edge went for a spear but was caught with the RKO. The fans chanted “RKO” and “Randy” and the show ended. I didn’t care for this closing segment. I didn’t understand the motivations of anyone involved.
Final Thoughts:
I liked this show. Again there was a focus on wrestling and results. The angles were for the most part quite good. I’d like Raw every week to be this sort of show.
The Big News: Chris Jericho and Miz have formed an alliance.
Show Analysis:
Batista came out to start the show. He said that he’s only the number one contender when he should be champion. He pointed out what bullshit the duct tape finish to the last man standing match was. He called it the most embarrassing moment of John Cena’s life and something that Hornswoggle would do. He then vowed to win a beat the clock challenge to pick the stipulation for his match with John Cena at Over the Limit.
Sheamus joined Batista in the ring. He said that Batista lost at Extreme Rules while he won. He challenged Batista to a match with Batista’s title shot on the line. Batista responded that Sheamus had his shot and blew it. Sheamus told Batista that this wasn’t over, and that Sheamus would be champion again sooner than Batista thinks. This was a very good opening segment. It was much more intriguing than the average WWE argument over a title shot. I also like the idea of Sheamus being the one to put Batista out of action. It would mean more than having Cena do it.
Batista beat Daniel Bryan in 5:06 in a beat the clock challenge. Miz was supposed to be the opponent for Batista. He said he would like to wrestle Batista but that he was injured from Big Show’s punch. He had a doctor’s note, which was a piece of paper with “doctor’s note” written in big handwriting. That was good comedy. Miz then introduced Bryan as the opponent. Michael Cole of course buried Bryan, but Bryan grabbed the microphone and vowed to make Batista tap out.
Batista went for the Batista bomb quickly but Bryan reversed into a pin attempt. Bryan applied an ankle lock but Batista got out. Bryan tried a sleeper but Batista threw him off. Batista used some hard Irish whips. Bryan countered with a guillotine but Batista threw him off again. Batista rammed Bryan into the ring apron and hit a head over heels clothesline but Bryan kicked out. Bryan retaliated with punches and kicks but was caught with a boot from Batista. Bryan landed a high kick and applied a modified shoulderlock/crossface. Batista got to the ropes.
Bryan started stomping Batista, but Batista kicked out his leg. Batista then hit the Batista bomb for the pin. Batista gave Bryan another two Batista bombs after the match for good measure. This was a good match and certainly better for Bryan than a lot of his other losses. However, there comes a point when a wrestler has lost so much that they simply cannot be helped by a “good showing” in yet another loss. And it’s never good for a face to promise to do something and then fail.
Guest host Wayne Brady approached Eve, who was doing a photo shoot backstage. Brady said that he loves Raw and loves wrestling. Ixnay on the estlingwray, Ayneway. Sorry, that last one was kind of pointless. Jillian Hall came in and did some bad singing before Brady got rid of her. While this was going on Maryse took Eve’s title and hit Eve with it.
Edge backstage wanted to show footage of his live sex gimmick with Lita or his TLC matches. The production guy said no, this was just too edgy. Apparently he didn’t actually watch the segments in question. Edge said that he’s rated R, not PG. I hate to break it to you, Edge, but you’re barely PG-13 at your worst. But I guess that’s someone else’s gimmick anyway. Edge said that this was live TV so he would do whatever he wants and bring about controversy. A doubtful claim.
John Morrison beat Ted DiBiase. Prior to the match, DiBiase talked about offering R. Truth a better life and made fun of Truth’s song. He said that he will hire an assistant and that assistant will take out Truth. Morrison clotheslined DiBiase to the outside and hit a springboard 450 plancha which drew a “that was awesome” chant from the crowd. DiBiase then just let himself be counted out.
Morrison said this wouldn’t be the start for him on Raw. He challenged DiBiase to come back to finish the match and said that if DiBiase won he would be DiBiase’s Virgil. DiBiase returned and worked Morrison over. DiBiase went for Dream Street but Morrison got out. DiBiase hit a power slam and head over heels clothesline for two.
DiBiase grabbed the cobra clutch again but Morrison ran up the ropes and cradled DiBiase for the pin (the Steve Austin/Bret Hart finish from Survivor Series 1996). DiBiase jumped Morrison after the match but Truth made the save. This was a good match and I liked the addition of the stipulation to add drama to the segment.
John Cena beat Wade Barrett to win the beat the clock challenge. Chris Jericho was scheduled to be Cena’s opponent. Jericho said he wouldn’t pull himself away in the same way Miz did. Rather, he explained, he has beaten Cena so many times that doing it again would be a waste of his time. He said he had a handpicked opponent for Cena in Barrett.
Cena went for the FU quickly but Jericho got on the apron. Cena knocked Jericho off and threw Barrett on Jericho, but as Cena pursued Jericho provided a distraction that allowed Barrett to take over. Barrett used really basic offense, mostly punches and kicks. He hit one back breaker.
As this was going on Jericho did a great job putting over Barrett and berating the announcers at ringsider. He was so entertaining. Cena then all of a sudden caught the STF and Barrett tapped with 30 seconds left. This wasn’t a good match. Cena was going to announce the stipulation for his match with Batista when Sheamus came out and laid Cena out. So we’ll have to wait to find out.
Maryse beat Nikki Bella in a short match. Nikki threw Maryse into the turnbuckle a few times. She went to the top but Maryse threw her off and hit a DDT for the pin. Afterwards, Maryse showed photos on the screen of her mocking an unconscious Eve at the photo shoot backstage. That was amusing. Eve went after Maryse but was held back by a referee.
Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder. Ryder said that the big news of the draft is that he is still on Raw. He proclaimed himself single and ready to mingle (since Rosa Mendes was drafted to Smackdown). I wonder what percentage of the audience even knows who Ryder is, who Mendes is, that they were together or that Mendes was drafted to Smackdown.
Alicia Fox and Gail Kim were invited to ringside to watch Ryder’s match. Henry came out as the opponent. Henry hit a body slam. Ryder used a dropkick off the second rope but was caught with a clothesline and the world’s strongest slam for the pin. Gail and Alicia were unimpressed with Ryder and left with Henry.
To me, the goal of a wrestling show should be to try to get people over. These humiliation segments, however, are always focused on mocking one guy rather than getting the other over. The whole focus and take home point here was that Ryder is a loser rather than Henry is a winner, and to me that’s a counterproductive mentality.
Chris Jericho and Miz backstage shared their aggravation over the Big Show. They took turns making fun of him. Miz lamented that they couldn’t get revenge on him because he’s on Smackdown. That’s never stopped Jericho (or 800 other wrestlers before). Anyway, Jericho had a plan and went off to discuss it with Miz. So apparently they are going to go after the tag titles as a way to go to Smackdown and get revenge on Big Show. I like that angle.
They did some “comedy” backstage with Wayne Brady, Santino, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal and Goldust. Santino tried to talk Kozlov out of teaming with Regal because Regal turned on Kozlov before.
Hart Dynasty beat William Regal and Vladimir Kozlov. Jericho and Miz did commentary, and Jericho in particular was great again. The heels worked over Tyson Kidd. Kidd got the tag to Smith. Regal tried to cut off Smith but was caught in the sharpshooter for the submission. Miz ran in afterwards and was caught by Smith, but Jericho then came in and gave Smith the code breaker.
Edge’s Cutting Edge was the final segment. Edge labeled himself the most controversial wrestler in the history of WWE. What exactly is controversial about him? That he broke up Matt Hardy and Lita and did a segment once that teased but didn’t deliver nudity? Edge then explained why he attacked Randy Orton. It didn’t make any sense to me.
Edge said that he was working towards the Smackdown title and was angry that he was drafted to Raw. Thus, he attacked Orton as an act of defiance so he would become talked about. That reminds me of the time I was angry at my cable company so I gave a dirty look to the guy at the Laundromat. Wayne Brady then came out. I don’t really understand the why on that either. He apparently wanted to play around and cut a joking promo. Brady seemed congenial enough and Edge was nice to him, but Randy Orton came out and gave Brady an RKO for some reason.
Edge told Orton he had to make a statement, and referred to their tag team. He said that they could team again and dominate. So why didn’t you spear Sheamus or Batista or Cena? Edge then said he wasn’t planning to spear Orton but now he is glad he did. Edge said he did everything he was supposed to coming back from injury but wasn’t fully supported, while Orton doesn’t care about anyone but gets the fans’ support. Umm, you were more over as a face than Orton, buddy.
Orton went for the RKO but Edge hit a big boot. Edge went for a spear but was caught with the RKO. The fans chanted “RKO” and “Randy” and the show ended. I didn’t care for this closing segment. I didn’t understand the motivations of anyone involved.
Final Thoughts:
I liked this show. Again there was a focus on wrestling and results. The angles were for the most part quite good. I’d like Raw every week to be this sort of show.
posted by Todd Martin at 11:43 PM
4 Comments:
Once again, the show is always better when its Triple H-free!
Miz is goldbricking. He refuses to defend the US title, so he should have that taken away from him. He's also such a spotlight mark that the moronic writers can't do the right thing and take the title off him. This is why WWE needs to have a figurehead commissioner to back up the guest host on Raw and Teddy Long on Smackdown and deal with these goldbricking heels.
That said, I'd erase both "Beat the Clock" matches, since they pulled a bait & switch in both cases. Jericho got some lazy pills from Miz, and now they want to take the tag titles from the Hart Dynasty? Good luck. I'd rather see Miz jobbing to Beth Phoenix.
That all having been said, I think we're going to get a triple threat for the title amongst Batista, Sheamus, & Cena at Over the Limit.
Orton gets another Access Hollywood moment RKOing Wayne Brady, but the big surprise was that there WASN'T a "Let's Make a Deal" skit. That would've been too obvious and wasted time. Santino should be wrestling and not doing increasingly bad comedy.
Mark Henry: Luckiest man on the planet. 'Nuff said. Zack Ryder: They're playing "Lonesome Loser" for you right about now on LI, pal.
Yes, no HHH is refreshing.
I keep wondering what percentage of the current WWE audience, the young ones, even know who Virgil is when mentioned in the DiBiase angle? Are we supposed to think 12-year olds are steeped in 1980s-1990s rasslin', er sports entertainment, history?
- Matt in Anchorage
"What exactly is controversial about [Edge]? That he broke up Matt Hardy and Lita and did a segment once that teased but didn’t deliver nudity?"
It actually did accidentally deliver nudity, as the sheet came down enough to briefly expose Lita. Just a few frames got through, then they did a quick black screen and switched camera angles and then it was back under control. In the UK version, they didn't bother putting in the black screen, and that version's floating around on the Internet if you need to verify this super-important fact.
Speaking of nudity, I thought we had some pretty serious exposure of Lacy on TNA as her bottoms got pulled askew for a few seconds, with several camera shots. Upon further review, it was probably just her pink thong we were seeing.
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