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Jerry Springer guest hosts WWE Raw
  February 16, 2010 3:46 AM
I read last week that Jerry Springer, one of my favorite talk-show host personalities, was drinking when he agreed to host Raw.
 
That didn't give me much faith in him going into the show.
 
After watching Raw, he's one of the toughest guest hosts yet to grade.
 
1. "WWE Superstars' Most Intimate Relationships." REACT: I wasn't sure where WWE was going to go with this at first. I was intrigued.
 
2. 20 minutes? REACT: Seems like a lot, but I don't think it was 20 minutes I completely lost. Pretty much lost? Maybe.
 
3. Great with fans. REACT: Jerry remains great with his fans, shaking every hand and thanking them. He's a class act. I shook his hand in Daytona Beach years ago during Spring Break.
 
4. Kelly Kelly pregnant? REACT: The thought is so comical that I should have eased up on the direction of the segment.
 
5. Pushing the PG rating. REACT: We heard phrases like "Lots of possibilities (for who the baby's father was)," "somebody to finish the job" and "Brie is a man."
 
6. Cast of characters. REACT: What a group with Santino Marella, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, The Bella Twins, Chris Masters, Eve, The Great Khali and Hornswoggle.
 
7. Maury Povich. REACT: Having paternity test results in "three days" was absurd, but there was nothing realistic about this segment. It was supposed to be funny.
 
8. "Crazier than my own show." REACT: Not true, Jerry. I've been to some of your shows live.
 
9. Chirade. REACT: WWE settled the concerns of the PG rating by saying this was done to freak Jerry out. It was funny when Jerry asked, "I've been Punked?"
 
10. Mae Young. REACT: Mae Young's acts never get old. It's funny.
 
11. Springer's final thought. REACT: Yes! I love the final thought. It really pushed the PPV.
 
12. "Please don't judge me." REACT: Another great Springer quote when he exited with Mae Young.
 
Springer's grade: He didn't make matches. His goal was to have a comedy segment and then push the PPV. Plain and simple. But it was a little too much comedy. Grade: C-.
 
The matches
 
1. WWE Champion Sheamus beats Randy Orton by DQ. REACT: I like that the champ led off (and ended) the show strong. It moved smoothly. I didn't like how Legacy distracted Orton more than Sheamus. I would like some decision on where The Legacy, specifically Cody Rhodes, is going with Orton, who is starting to receive strong pops.
 
2. Mark Henry/MVP beat Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show/The Miz in a non-title match. REACT: ShowMiz is 760 pounds? Wow. I enjoyed the match pace. I liked Big Show's legdrop on Henry to break up the pin attempt. The rollup on Miz did come out of nowhere, but the result is good.
 
3. Ted DiBiase beats Kofi Kingston. REACT: Kofi is some high-flyer. While it was a little eerie for DiBiase to tease concussion-like symptoms, it was good and surprising to see him win. The match was decent.
 
4. John Cena vs. Triple H ends in no contest. REACT: I would think Batista would be a major distraction to Cena in a match involving guys with 20 combined world titles. I thought a goal was to make people realize HHH is a great singles wrestler and not just a tag-team wrestler. That was accomplished. There were some surprising top-rope moves and out-of-ring action in this back-and-forth match.
 
Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
 
1. "Finish things once and for all?" REACT: Without Vince there? That didn't make sense.
 
2. Bret pops. REACT: The crowd loves him. Face it, Bret on Raw is huge every week.
 
3. "Victory will last a lifetime, but excellence will last forever." REACT: Awesome quote by Bret.
 
4. Thanks. REACT: I liked how Bret thanked the fans and John Cena. I also like how he said good-bye to several Superstars.
 
5. Random blonde backs into Bret's limo, crushing Bret's leg. REACT: I thought this segment worked. It's the only way to get Vince to want to wrestle Bret, so why not. This story line is about closure. Bret is now the underdog, and that's necessary for this to work.
 
6. TNA Wrestling. REACT: No, that wasn't Hulk Hogan that sent Brooke Hogan to run into Bret's leg. I don't think TNA Wrestling would do an angle like this with Brooke, especially with Nick's driving history.
 
7. Security camera angle. REACT: While the car-on-leg impact looked harder here, it was nice to see it to make it more believable. The pops when Bret puts a Sharpshooter on Vince with a "broken" or "almost-broken leg" will be huge.
 
John Cena vs. Batista
 
1. It's dragging on. REACT: It had to with the PPV on Sunday. I do like this new comical Batista.
 
Final Raw thoughts
 
1. Dog show reminders. REACT: Remember when Raw went to the dogs a couple times per year? While the constant reminders to swap channels were annoying, I was waiting for one of the announcers to mention pedigree as it relates to Triple H and not the sponsor.
 
2. President's Day national anthem. REACT: That girl scored a sweet gig. Well done, too.
 
3. Hall of Fame for Antonio Inoki. REACT: Awesome clips, which included Muhammed Ali, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. A good history recap for those who don't know much about Inoki.
 
Raw grade: Not enough wrestling (four matches). Too much Springer comedy. But I really liked the Bret-McMahon push. Grade: C+.
 
Sunday's Elimination Chamber
 
1. HHH has four EC wins. REACT: How can he not be a favorite, when only two of six champions have retained?
 
2. Sheamus. REACT: At 6-foot-6, 276 pounds, you can't discount him to retain. But, he could barely hold up HHH for the finishing move to close the show. That's a concern.
 
3. Promo. REACT: Great clips, making me want to watch the show.
 
WWE

 

ECW stars to become free agents. REACT: Smart.

Talk of turning John Morrison heel again. REACT: Bad idea. No wonder he hasn't gotten more of a push.

Undertaker to probably work two, possibly three, matches between now and WrestleMania, and will probably drop the title before WrestleMania. REACT: Makes sense, as he would drop it at the Chamber pay-per-view.

The Rock may serve as a semi-permanent RAW guest host for the entire summer. REACT: I can't see this happening.

WWE reportedly contacted Hollywood writers to help with NXT. REACT: Give it a go. It can't hurt the Tuesday show. I do prefer more of an Ultimate Fighter episode, though.

John Morrison's ankle broken? REACT: The Dwight Freeney of WWE.

Serena Deeb reportedly the only woman willing to get her head shaved for the CM Punk story line. REACT: Many women wrestlers missed a chance for a call-up.

Survivor Series PPV down 26 percent. REACT: I agree the concept is old, and I think something fresh would be welcomed for one of the original four PPVs.

Vince McMahon plans to launch WWE's upcoming television network by next summer. REACT: Great idea, and Raw can still say on USA.

Brian Danielson now called Daniel Bryan. REACT: This name has nothing to hook me.

Maria said she doesn't get along with Cyndi Lauper. REACT: Lauper is an original and shouldn't be bashed verbally.

Jenny Quinn (Jenny Cash) gone from FCW. REACT: Too bad. She had potential.

Depush for Tiffany and Cryme Tyme? REACT: In the new PG world, it's likely. All three would be missed, as they each bring something to WWE.

TNA Wrestling

TNA made it official. It will start its Monday shows March 8, taping live every other week. Here's the new Orlando schedule: Monday March 8 (live); Tuesday March 9; Monday March 22 (live); Tuesday March 23; Monday April 5 (live); Tuesday April 6; Monday April 19 (live); Tuesday April 20. REACT: This is awesome for wrestling. While we probably won't get a ratings war again, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Bobby Lashley's profile removed from Web site. REACT: Lashley won't be a huge loss, but he does have strong name value, and that name value will only become greater.

Hulk Hogan says he may turn heel soon. REACT: May be a good idea considering how fans react to him.

Hogan vs. Ric Flair soon. Again. REACT: Can't hurt.

Eric Bischoff has a ratings system for title-belt contenders. REACT: I love this idea.

Scott Steiner gone after not being offered a new contract. REACT: Name value who had a surprisingly strong run.

Kurt Angle wants a reduced schedule with no live events. REACT: I will believe that when I see it.

Hogan and Flair not at Jack Brisco's funeral service. REACT: They have that right and shouldn't be criticized for not showing up. Flair reportedly had travel issues.

Upcoming Kevin Nash and Scott Hall feud. REACT: Why not? I like that.

Also

ECW founder Tod Gordon said he and Paul Heyman are working on the "greatest collaboration ever" that will be announced in July 2011 before they go public in August 2011. REACT: A return of ECW? I'd watch.

 
Copyright © 2012 The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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