Dusty Rhodes segments:

1. No delay. REACT: It was refreshing to see the guest host appear right away, unlike last week with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

2. Crowd pops? REACT: The Detroit crowd is always good, but it seemed like Dusty's pops started softly.

3. Heel heat. REACT: It would have been great if Dusty started by saying, "What, were you expecting, LeBron?" But it was smart he started face for the show's ending. Heck, he even mentioned how he hoped his son Cody Rhodes would turn face.

4. Strong buildup. REACT: WWE did an awesome job building up the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton main event, going with "the fix is in" comments and questioning the Legacy's future.

5. Shameless plugs. REACT: I'm glad this was the only annoying one. Triple H's, (Dusty) "tells us what's going to happen (on Raw), we don't need to see it" comment raised my eyebrow.

6. History. REACT: I like how the announcers made mention several times of how the world title had changed four times before in Detroit. It made me think it might happen again with Cody Rhodes vs. Orton.

7. The Kevin Nash-Hulk Hogan fingertap title change, and more "The Rise & Fall of WCW" plugs. REACT: I marked out for this. DX was hilarious when they said they "wouldn't have let Nash do that." I wonder what Nash thought of this.

8. Bashing Shawn Michaels. REACT: While it was all in good fun, it really relived history. It made mention of Michaels being WWE champion from 1996-1998, the same time WCW was ruling wrestling. It also made mention of Michaels suffering his back injury and leaving wrestling in 1998, the same year WWE rebounded in the ratings war.

9. Cracking on Dusty. REACT: DX was funny making fun of the Marc Mero character, which Dusty created. This entire segment (points 7-8-9 here) was awesome.

10. Shockmaster. REACT: We got a quick mention of Ric Flair, War Games, Magnum TA and Sting before the Shockmaster appeared. It was very funny when it was revealed to be Santino Marella with Arn Anderson on the microphone.

The main event: Cody Rhodes vs. Orton ends in a no contest. REACT: Dusty Rhodes' pep talk had me certain Cody Rhodes would put on a good showing. I really wasn't thinking of the turn on the referee John Cena, but it made perfect sense and was executed nicely. While I'm not too surprised DX was beaten down when they hit the ring, I'm a little surprised how it was done (Dusty using his boot to help out) because I would assume DX and Cena would want and need retribution on Dusty. Although maybe that's why the RKO on Dusty was done. But, that was confusing, as it really weakens Cody since he didn't respond back.

The other matches:

1. Beth Phoenix wins "American Dream" Six-Diva Battle Royal. REACT: The order of eliminations (Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, Kelly Kelly, Jillian Hall and Gail Kim) wasn't bad. I'm glad Alicia was eliminated early; her pinfall win last week was a joke. My criticism of this match was Jillian and Gail wrestled too long while Beth was, where? Jillian and Gail forgot about Beth? Please.

2. Unified WWE Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho beats MVP. REACT: Strong match with a very strong finish (playmaker-walls-small package-codebreaker-pin).

3. Hornswoggle beats Chavo Guerrero in a Bull Rope Match. REACT: I do like how this match was Dusty-style. While Chavo having to wear the mask was funny, the canned laughter by the announcers was annoying. And I'm not sure who has more of a de-push going: Chavo for losing weekly to Hornswoggle or Evan Bourne for having to feud next (I think) with the loser Chavo?

4. Mark Henry beats Unified Tag Team Champion Big Show by disqualification. REACT: This was much better match than I thought it would be. The headbutts and the collision were fresh touches. Big Show using the turnbuckle leading to a DQ was a smart finish. I'm OK with it as it made the tag-team opponents 1-1, it showed Big Show's frustration and it built up hype for the PPV match.

5. United States Champion Kofi Kingston beats The Miz, Jack Swagger and Carlito in a Fatal Fourway Match. REACT: The Miz had an interesting strategy by avoiding the other three. Kofi pulled off several sweet moves, especially the 1-onto-3 dive. While this would have been a good time to have The Miz win, this match still was very strong.

6. Divas Champion Mickie James beats Beth Phoenix. REACT: I thought for sure Beth was going to win. She dominated while Mickie had a hurt shoulder. With Trish coming onto the scene in a few weeks, I thought we'd have a heel champion.

Final thoughts:

Hour 1's only real highlight was Jericho-MVP. Raw really picked up in Hour 2. Henry-Big Show was respectable, while the Fatal Fourway was strong. The ending had a unique payoff. John Cena vs. Randy Orton, with Cena's "I will not quit" promo, will be Raw's main event at the PPV. Also, I'm a little surprised there were two women's matches, but I'm guessing WWE is trying to counter TNA Wrestling's strong women's focus right now. Show grade: B.

Future guest hosts:

Bob Barker to host next Monday's show in Chicago. REACT: I'm a big admirer of Barker's run on "The Price Is Right," along with the show, but this sounds risky and boring. Although I will say Barker has a huge edge with Raw being in Chicago, as a Chicago crowd will pop for a fart in church.

Trish Stratus rumored to host the Sept. 14 Raw in Canada. REACT: Might we see Trish wrestle Beth Phoenix?

Mike Adamle. REACT: Looks like he is out of the guest host rotation.

ECW: It's all about The Undertaker this week. Enjoy.

Smackdown: I guess CM Punk will find a way to get back at The Undertaker. The highlight of this show, of course, will be what happens to Rey Mysterio. On that note...

REY MYSTERIO

While I bashed Rey Mysterio quite a bit in my last post -- and I still stand by what I wrote -- WWE officials are reportedly very unhappy with Mysterio for comments he made to a Mexican newspaper regarding his recent drug test failure.
 
Mysterio said he had a prescription for the drug that gave a positive test but was suspended before he could produce prescription proof. He said he was given one day to produce a prescription.
 
OK, even if that's the case, how difficult would it have been to get prescription proof faxed to the WWE offices in one day?
 
And, assuming WWE followed its 72-hours Wellness Policy notification, Mysterio is lying and actually had three days to provide prescription proof.
 
Sounds to me like Mysterio didn't have prescription proof.
 
Also, Mysterio claims he has passed 15 drug tests this year. While that's good, he failed this latest one.

LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS

TNA Impact's women's tournament. REACT: Interesting concept.

Brian Kendrick tells Dragon Gate USA he doesn't want back in WWE. REACT: Never say never, Brian.
 
F4WOnline.com reports the marijuana penalty fee (pot tax) in WWE has been doubled to $2,000. REACT: That's steep, and should get users to eliminate or cut back usage.
 
PWInsider.com reports there is some industry heat on Ric Flair, including allegations he has yet to return money for past business deals (including one with Ring of Honor). REACT: I'm sure the industry heat will pass, but this is not good for Flair.

MyNews.in falsely attaches former WWE Diva Brooke Adams to actor/comedian Russell Brand in a graphic sex story. REACT: I've yet to see Adams' reaction to this, but her reaction would be interesting.
 
MMA fighter Nate Marquardt said Bobby Lashley isn't serious about MMA and isn't ready for top competition. Marquardt also said Lashley isn't "loyal to my guys." REACT: I don't see how wrestling makes Lashley unloyal. Lashley is trying to do both. Give him time.

Publisherweekly.com review Hulk Hogan's "My Life Outside the Ring" and said the wrestling part of the book is good, but the personal talk brings the book down. REACT: One review means nothing.
 
TNA President Dixie Carter said she is not a fan of the monthly pay-per-view format and would like to see the formula shaken up. REACT: I'm all for that, but I'll believe it when I see it.
 
Wrestlelicious still has no television deal in place, and it's almost fall. REACT: Disappointing, as this promotion had promise.

FCW's Angela Fong expected to replace Lilian Garcia. REACT: I'm not a fan of Fong, but we'll see how she does.
 
Chris Nowinski said everyone in WWE suddenly stopped talking to him after the Sports Legacy Institute examined Chris Benoit's brain. REACT: Nowinski is doing needed research. WWE's actions are understandable.
 
The Iron Sheik reportedly tried to pay a $500 tab with autographed pictures of himself at the Kowloon Chinese restaurant in Saugus, Ma. REACT: The Iron Sheik is entertaining.
 
WTSB Radio in North Carolina reported Christopher Danels was arrested on DUI charges. REACT: Best of luck to Daniels as he handles and recovers from this serious matter. I will say it wasn't smart Daniels and Hurricane Helms blogged about their drinking.
 
Mr. Kennedy to TNA Wrestling! REACT: Jeremy Borash ribbed everyone.