Here is my review of Monday Night Raw for
July 19, 2010:
The matches
1. Randy Orton beats Chris Jericho and
Edge. REACT: I was curious why this match led off the show, but it all made
sense at the end. Awesome match, with numerous near-falls and a very unique
triple clothesline. I would have been OK with Orton just hitting the RKO on
Chris Jericho, but he also got one in on Edge. I guess it did make Jericho and
Edge "equal" for the beatdown by Nexus.
2. Eve beats Maryse (with Ted DiBiase Jr.).
REACT: Maryse's posing during the match rightly doesn't help her win matches. I
didn't care for this match. It was too short and Eve couldn't even get a clean
win as Maryse's foot was on the rope. Apparently, Eve is the new No. 1
contender.
3. Sheamus beats Evan Bourne. REACT: Bourne
sure didn't look ready, and the announcer even made mention of it. I assume that
was done for story line purposes, as the match was thrown at Bourne. The match
started slow but picked up nicely. WWE even teased Bourne, who had a strong
high-fly spot, to win.
4. Santino Marella/Vladimir Kozlov beat
William Regal/Zach Ryder. REACT: Kozlov's power has this team firing on all
cylinders. Decent match. But please, push these guys!
5. Wade Barrett beats Mark Henry. REACT:
Decent match but a sloppy forward fireman carry drop by Barrett that led to the
pin. I hope Barrett didn't hurt his back. I liked the distraction by Nexus to
assist Barrett, as the announcers reminded us they were only on the stage and
not at ringside.
Nexus
1. Edge and Jericho. REACT: It's too bad
this 11-year feud won't get some closure anytime soon. I like how Jericho
threatened Edge with Nexus and I thought the beatdowns were appropriate for the
story lines. I thought the Raw GM should have stepped in.
2. Most powerful? REACT: Announcer Josh
Matthews calling them "the most powerful group in the history of WWE" is really
putting them over. Wow.
3. Sheamus. REACT: Apparently, he has a
"truce" with Nexus. Hopefully, WWE will explain this more.
4. John Cena. REACT: Saying "nobody can
stop Nexus" and implying he would join them was well done. I was confused as to
where this would go, so it worked for me.
5. Final segment with Cena and Nexus.
REACT: Well-written segment. I like how Cena got to talk first and Nexus not
wanting a truce. The crowd pops for Cena to not give in helped the end result.
Nexus asking Cena to join them and Cena saying no was brilliant, as was the
choice of Cena leaving the ring or taking a beatdown. Setting up a 7-on-7 match
for Summerslam was perfect here. I like this WWE team. The show explained why
the key guys -- Cena, Edge, Jericho -- are on the team. We know Bret Hart has
history with Nexus, although I do wonder if Triple H was supposed to be the 7th
guy. And John Morrison, The Great Khali and R-Truth are nice additions --
although Morrison seems to have a feud with Ted DiBiase Jr and R-Truth has one
going with The Miz.
Story lines
1. Morrison vs. DiBiase Jr. REACT: Nice
set-up for this feud after the subpar Divas match.
2. Sheamus-Cena-The Miz. REACT: Very strong
segment. I like how Sheamus re-emphasized his dominance over Cena -- three wins
in a table match, a Fatal 4 Way and a steel cage. Very strong promo by The Miz,
who called himself the "celebrity stalker" and said, "Every breath you take,
every move you make, I'll be watching you." The odds are against Sheamus, as
Money in the Bank winners are 7-for-7 in winning a world title.
3. General manager. REACT: He made some
matches, but he was pretty quiet this week. There was also no tease as to his
identity. I wonder if that will be the norm now.
4. Sheamus vs. The Miz. REACT: I really
thought The Miz was going to win the title. The Miz got some strong pops. I
didn't care for R-Truth running in and ruining The Miz's title chance, as it
brought The Miz down from title-contender to mid-carder. The Miz's promo
afterwards was very strong.
5. Sheamus vs. Orton. REACT: It's not a
good time to be the champion. Everyone wants a piece of Sheamus.
6. Muscle & Fitness magazine. REACT: I
was a little surprised to hear Jerry Lawler mention Batista having been on a
past cover.
Analysis and
grade
Awesome final segment setting up the 7-on-7
Summerslam match. Great triple-threat main event, and some nice intrigue with
Sheamus and his future, especially strongly teasing The Miz winning. Negatives
were the Divas match, the Barrett-Henry finish and the fairly absent GM.
The grade: A-
The Miz photo is courtesy of Getty Images.
The Miz photo is courtesy of Getty Images.
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY
REACTS
WWE
Newcomer Alberto Del Rio reportedly
complains about not wearing his mask. REACT: Stupid for a guy who hasn't even
wrestled yet on television.
Jim Ross said, "several WWE stars now using
personal tour buses. Smart move if one can afford it. It's certainly a tax write
off and makes trips easier & are family friendly." REACT: Interesting. I
would love to see the list of who does this.
Kane is the first to win the the WWE
Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship and the defunct ECW World
Heavyweight Championship in WWE. REACT: Wow. This is something he should be
proud of.
Dolph Ziggler said he wants to become as
good a wrestler as Shawn Michaels. REACT: Great goal and great wrestler to
"choose." But good luck.
Guest hosts return with Bobb'e J. Thompson
(Oct. 18) and Toby Keith (Oct. 25). REACT: Not the best, but it's better than
nothing.
TNA Wrestling
Eric Bischoff said Vince Russo is "a very
talented guy doing an amazing job under some pretty extraordinary
circumstances." REACT: He said it. The question is, did he say it knowing Paul
Heyman could be coming in?
Also
"Eugene" issues open challenge to Laila Ali
for wrestler vs. charity boxer match in Louisville, Ky. REACT: I can't see here
doing this.
OTHER SHOWS
Lucha Libre Wrestling on MTV2. REACT: The
wrestling was above-average. The wrestlers' sidekicks were strong additions. The
commentary was impressive. The one thing I didn't care for was that the
different divisions were discussed but there really wasn't a strong explanation
as to who these guys were. A chart of some kind would have been an effective
solution. The website lucha.mtv2.com seems solid.
FCW. REACT: I was surprised at last week's backstage segment with one of the Divas, which pushed WWE's PG rating. I guess WWE wasn't watching?
FCW. REACT: I was surprised at last week's backstage segment with one of the Divas, which pushed WWE's PG rating. I guess WWE wasn't watching?
