Pre-Show Notes:Going into RAW and it being the 15th anniversary, I wasn't expecting much buildup for Armageddon. With a PPV only a week away, why build up for it? Most people think that would be ok but TV doesn't make you money. PPVs make the money, along with merchandise and other things. The best thing to do would have been put the 15th anniversary show next Monday but that's just me using logic.
One thing I'm having trouble with is the Ric Flair Farewell storyline. They started it on November 26th and then last week, it was mentioned in the opening but the opening was more about Orton-Jericho. That's one thing I don't like about WWE and even TNA. They start a big storyline and they don't mention it again. This isn't like the Kelly Kelly-Balls Mahoney storyline that wasn't that big and was scrapped. This is Ric Flair's farewell tour. Being a Ric Flair fan, I want to see it featured each week. If they could do this right, each match will be huge and should draw. If it came down to it and I could see Flair in potentially his last match, I'll be watching that show. One thing I would have changed about it would be Flair starting from the very bottom and working his way up, not the main champion. Going into tonight, I didn't expect the Flair storyline to be mentioned. I figured he would make an appearance but the storyline wouldn't be mentioned.
One thing I'm glad to hear is Carlito is going to remain with the WWE. I can see Carlito not being happy for the past year or so because he hasn't been getting the push he might have wanted. Hell, we've all be unhappy in the workplace sometimes. Now that Carlito is going to stay with the WWE, he needs to step up. He's probably going to have a few more weeks of getting buried or doing silly skits like he did last week. But, he really needs to step up, whether it's promos or matches. We all know TNA would pick him up in an instant and he would go on to win the TNA World title. If Carlito steps up, he could do some amazing things. I do think they need to take him off of TV until the end of the year and put him on ECW, just so he could get a fresh start. A lot of these guys would be better if they got a fresh start. Sometimes that's all a guy needs. Now, without further ado, it's RAW is Blogged!!!
Being a perfectionist, they could have waited until January of 2008 to do this. I really liked the opening. It was a combination of every opening package they've used throughout the years. That was great and we're already off to an excellent start. One thing though, I wish they had used a different set, kind of like they did for the WWE vs. ECW stuff.
RAW started off with the McMahon Family, minus Linda & Hornswoggle. If I had been in attendance, I probably would have marked out because those 3, along with a few more, are the brains that run the WWE. Vince started off with his opening from the first ever RAW and talked about how RAW was the longest running series, show, etc. which is pretty damn cool. Vince said Linda couldn't be here because of some intestinal thing, which was a little too much information. He introduced the McMahon children and their many titles they've won, although he forgot his reign as WWE Champion. He called him a photographer and Hornswoggle made his way to the ring. I liked it when JR said "Horny loves his dad," and that was followed up with a "Hornswoggle" chant. Vince said he knows they're all waiting for him to die so they could get his fortune. He told Shane & Stephanie that he loved them and Horny that he love him a little. He even told the fans he loved them. Aww, that was sweet! I was waiting on some sort of Kennedy interruption but Triple H's music hit. Yeah, I marked out. The camera showed Stephanie as Triple H made his way down, with his new merchandise on, which was cool.
Vince asked Triple H what was he doing and he replied he was waiting on the pop to die down. Triple H said it wasn't a secret any longer and he said he felt like he was a part of the family, followed by a "What's up, Steph?" Triple H talked about some stuff and said he was going to bring out some people, whom Vince has loved. Trips introduced Melina and said there was more to come. Trips introduced Sunny, who I haven't seen since her days with L.O.D. and as she came in, Hornswoggle ran and gave her a hug, sticking his face, well you know. Next up was Mae Young, which was pretty gross. I hope any of you out there don't have to go back to your job when you're her age. She gave Vince a kiss, along with a lot of other things, probably herpes too. Vince admitted to the relations, saying he had too much to drink and dusted off the cobwebs and that grossed Shane out, along with myself.
Triple H said he had more and said anybody who Vince had loved, who had dressed as a woman to come on down. Howard Finkel, Big Dick Johnson , Pat Patterson, Brooklyn Brawler dressed as Knuckleball, Gerald Briscoe, and Bastion Booger came down. Trips said that Knuckleball explained Vince's fascination with balls. Stephanie said that Vince had embarrassed the family enough and it was time for her to embarrass him. She then went over and made out with Triple H, which was something I had been expecting for a while. Vince said he hated everybody, then left. Triple H apologized to Hornswoggle and said if there was only somebody that could make this better. Godfather's music hit and made his way down to the ring with his hoes. He didn't get a pop whatsoever. I must say, Hornswoggle is the best actor in the WWE. They danced around for a little while until the commercial. The segment was funny but ran a little long.
The "Greatest Superstar in RAW History" graphic was up. Funny thing is, they've got Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Booker T on there, all whom work for TNA. The ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship was up next. One thing I have trouble with is why Carlito is getting a title shot when all he's done in the past few weeks is get beat by Hornswoggle and try to run through a wall. That's beyond me. Jeff Hardy made his way out first to a big pop, as usual. Next up was Carlito and I wish he would go over to Smackdown or ECW and partner with Kofi Kingston. Two guys from the Caribbean could work.
As soon as the bell hit, Carlito dove outside, got the ladder, and waited and hit Jeff Hardy with it. The thing about ladder matches is guys take their time climbing up when we all know it doesn't take that much to climb up a ladder. One sick spot was Jeff coming off the ropes and dropkicking Carlito, who was on the ring apron, onto the ladder, which cracked the ladder. Damn that looked like it hurt. A little bit after that, Carlito did a springboard onto the ladder. He then did a sunset flip powerbomb, which was sick as hell. The powerbomb got a "holy shit" chant going as we went to commercial. Some of the spots in this match had to hurt more than spots in previous ladder matches. The Back Cracker/Stabber looked gruesome. The finishing spot saw Jeff punch Carlito a few times, push him off, then go up and grab his belt. JR pushed the Triple H-Jeff Hardy match but the live crowd didn't get that as we went to commercial.
Back from commercial, they interviewed HBK who talked about last week and Kennedy Kennedy. He said he was part of the original broadcast of RAW. He said that tonight, Kennedy Kennedy gets to face the real thing this week, Marty Jennety. He said Kennedy Kennedy face off this Sunday at Armageddon, Mr. HBK…HBK. That was pretty funny.
They showed a few moments from past RAWs, including Mae Young getting powerbombed off the stage, the New Age Outlaws (who've taken shot after shot at the WWE), Val Venis getting his pee pee chopped off, Kane unmasking (big mistake), Bischoff's intro as the GM of RAW, Austin & Edge being thrown in the water, Shane buying WCW, a bunch of kissing scenes, and even the infamous limo explosion. It was a good look back but I think they could have included some other key moments. Like, DX invading Monday Nitro, Vince being revealed as the Higher Power, Y2J's debut, Mick Foley's first WWE Championship win, the Beer & Milk Baths, and a few more.
As we came back from commercial, Santino was in the ring. He wanted to know when they were going to honor the future. Before he could finish, Rob Van Dam's music hit and needless to say, I marked out. I was hoping it wouldn't be some impostor and RVD came out! It was a fast match and RVD got the win fairly easily. I couldn't believe it! RVD is back! I just hope he's back and this wasn't a one time deal. Shortly after that, a package about Evolution aired talking about each member, which I felt like took away from the previous segment. They talked about an Evolution reunion later on. The only thing, Orton, Flair, and Triple H were involved in a long feud last year, not to mention Flair & Orton's encounter 2 weeks ago. They're just going to let bygones be bygones and reunite? Eh, ROB VAN DAM IS BACK…MAYBE!
Before RAW came back on, a promo for ECW came on, teasing Batista going extreme. Lillian announced that all four original members of Evolution would be coming out. Was there another member we didn't know about? No Evolution entrance? I liked their theme music. I even have it on my iPod. Flair came out first, followed by Ric Flair. The funny thing is, there was a referee in the ring, so I'm guessing we would have a match after their intros. Next up was the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista. Last but not least was the WWE Champion, Randy Orton, remember the guy that spit in Triple H's face and beat the hell out of Ric Flair? Orton said he wasn't coming out to join them. He said the only reason they wanted him out there was so they could ride the coattails of his success. He brought up when he last won the World Heavyweight Championship and how they, the heels, kicked his ass, the face. Orton said the only team he wanted to be remembered as a part of was Rated RKO. This brought out the best heel in the business, EDGE! Batista told Edge to come say it to his face, while Flair chimed in and said they were dressed to compete. Orton said they went to Silly Willy Regal and got an ok for a tag partner, Oomanga! I do have to say the chick that "plays" Triple H in the Smackdown vs. RAW Nintendo Wii commercial wearing the red bikini is hot. Hell, the one in the blue is hot, too.
Back from commercial, the match was going on and they talked about the Flair Farewell storyline. The stipulation will only apply to singles matches, which gives way for him to lose tonight. I have to say, in every Ric Flair match I've seen, he has never taken a back body drop right or any kind of flip. If you've seen his matches, you know what I'm talking about. The match ended in a DQ and Orton & Edge ran for the hills. This left Umaga to get destroyed as the face members of Evolution celebrated. They flashed to Jeff Hardy with an ice pack on his face/jaw. They showed the Austin Beer Bash and other segments with automobiles, including my favorite with the Zamboni. They need to bring stuff like that.
Backstage, they showed Hornswoggle messing with Molly Holly and Mickie James. Silly Willy Regal came in and got Horny. He said that there's a rematch from Survivor Series with Khali against Hornswoggle. He said Finlay's plane had been canceled from Ireland, so Horny's on his own. Hornswoggle's acting was priceless.
Before coming back, they recapped the match from last week between Hornswoggle, Coach, and Carlito with APA coming into to help. I'm looking forward to seeing the new movie, I Am Legend. It looks good. Hornswoggle came down with the best "sad look" I've seen. He looked at the ref and Lillian and just shook his head. Crappy Khali made his way down to the ring and Hornswoggle just put on a great show with his expressions. I tried to figure out who would help Hornswoggle and I thought about Hulk Hogan or maybe Mick Foley. Hornswoggle got started and did a little duckin' & diving. Just as Khali got a hold of Horny, HOGAN'S MUSIC HIT! The same guy that said he would never work for Vince McMahon again made his way down to the ring. He got in Khali's face and blocked Khali's big head chop. If you know what the ROH logo looks like, there was a guy with an ROH shirt on next to the isle stairs. Hogan did the "YOU!" and with a few shots, knocked Khali down. Arab Bischoff blocked Khali from getting back in the ring as Hogan challenged him to get back in. There was a big "Hogan" chant as the segment came to a close. Horny clapped and smiled as Hogan asked for a mic. He said it looked like Hulkamania was still alive and well. Hogan sucked up to the WWE some, I guess to get a little more money. He built up the WWE and the new/current WWE Superstars. Hogan plugged the new American Gladiators. Horny and Hogan did the poses as we went to commercial. This was a great ending. Right before the commercial, they did a DX flashback with all of the classic DX moments.
After the break, they showed the Dr. Austin-Vince segment which was great. Up next was 15-man battle royal, with Howard Finkel as the announcer. Al Snow was out first, followed by Bart Gunn, then Doink the Clown, and Repo Man. Up next was the Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman, whom I miss. I guess those appearances defending WWE during July paid off. After Blackman, Pete Gas from the Mean Street Posse made his way down, followed by Mr. Bob Backlund. Flash Funk, IRS, Skinner, The Goon, and Gangrel made their way down. After them, Scotty 2 Hotty came on down to a nice pop. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart came on down to the ring, with Sgt. Slaughter right behind him. This reminded me of the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania X-Seven. Next up was Gillberg, who was hilarious. I always loved his entrance and you could tell the "Gillberg" chant had to be piped in. I guess if you win, you win cause there's no prize to win. This was pure comedy. IRS was the winner and the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase made his way down to the ring. DiBiase made a deal with IRS to eliminate himself so DiBiase could be the winner. As he used to say, everybody's got a price! Before the break, they showed a RAW Flashback of the McMahons and a bunch of slapping incidents. So far, Armageddon matches have been mentioned twice.
Back from the break, Eric Bischoff was running his mouth. He said that nothing had changed and he's seen the same faces, year after year after year. He said he was there to take the money out of everybody's pockets and everybody depended on him to entertain them and reinvent wrestling. This cued the SAVE_US.229 stuff and Chris Jericho made his way down to the ring. Maybe Jericho could ask him why he never got a push in WCW. Jericho got the best reaction since his return. Jericho cut yet another flawless promo. They talked a little and Jericho threatened to beat Bischoff's ass, with a little rhyming sequence. Jericho gave Bischoff a shot and tried to put the Walls of Jericho on him. Orton ran in, Jericho blocked the shot with the belt, and Y2J put the Walls of Jericho on him. It ended with Jericho holding the WWE Championship and laying it by Orton. So, that's 3 times Armageddon matches have been mentioned, once with Hardy & Triple H and twice with Orton & Jericho.
After the commercial, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes came out to do some commentating. The next match was for the World Tag Team Championship with Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly taking on Cade & Murdoch. Despite them putting on a good match, the crowd seemed a little dead for this. I think Dusty popped bigger for the win than the crowd did. They celebrated and I enjoyed it. They did another RAW Flashback with the past celebrities that have been on RAW. They showed just about everybody, even Ben Stiller with TNA co-owner Jeff Jarrett and Debra, who spoke out harshly against WWE back in July.
Back from commercial, they had a RAW Flashback with the Divas. Yeah, they're all hot. Afterwards in the ring, Jillian was in the ring. Yippee! This bad singer gimmick has run it's course. Trish Stratus' music hit and she looks better than when she was in WWE. Mmm…Trish… I might actually preview Jillian's crappy album. Jillian said Trish would get the award for having the biggest ego in RAW history. Lita's music hit and she got a pretty good ovation. They really are pulling out the stops. Lita looks way better than when she was last in WWE. Yeah, Lita and Trish had the best women's feud in history. Jillian started back singing and then Trish & Lita then started kicking her ass. Jillian tucked tail & ran as Trish & Lita celebrated in the ring. Yes ma'am! They did another RAW Flashback with the best comedy jokes in WWE history, including a stinkface to Stephanie, the time pissed in his pants, the Triple H-Trish 69, etc. They even showed a comedy skit with Edge & Christian and some midget segments. They even showed they time when Chris Jericho compared Stephanie's breasts during the Invasion angle. The way it's looking, I'm thinking Stone Cold gets the Greatest Superstar in RAW history. Man this blog is long.
The next RAW Flashback was the many wedding that they've done over the years. This should show that every wedding angle in wrestling history has NEVER worked. Backstage, they showed Lita & Kane. This reminded me of your typical, weird high school date invitation encounter what have you. Probably my favorite one yet because it was so awkward and it reminded me of some of the people I know and their weird interactions. Cue Ron Simmons with the "DAMN!" They hyped Armageddon! I can't believe it!
KENNEDY! Next up was the match between Marty Jennety and Mr. Kennedy…KENNEDY! They did the WWE Rewind with the stuff from last week. They didn't show the Scott Hall "Thanks for being here" dig. This was a decent match at best but Jennety doesn't have what it takes anymore. Kennedy got the win and ended it finally. Kennedy started beating on Marty and HBK came down to make the save. Kennedy bailed out but got back in and started beating on HBK. This brought The Game down to distract Kennedy. JR mentioned their being an Evolution reunion earlier, now there's a DX reunion.
Next up was the Greatest RAW Superstar and my thinking was it would be Stone Cold, since we haven't seen him yet. One reason why RAW couldn't be 3 hours is it's too damn long. I remember Nitro was long as hell and I couldn't handle this every week. Damn this is long. Back from commercial, Vince was already in the ring ready to announce the greatest Superstar in RAW history. After the envelope was given to Vince by the security guards, he called for a drum roll. The winner is…Vincent Kennedy McMahon!!! This brought out Mick "Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack" Foley. He got a decent pop and gave the Mandible Claw to Vince. The bells tolled and the Deadman, the Undertaker made his way down. Undertaker's in probably the best shape of his career. Vince got up and 'Taker gave him the patented Chokeslam. The bells tolled some more and Undertaker made his way out of the ring as people tried to figure out where he was. THE GLASS BREAKS! Stone Cold made his was down to the ring and I guess it was time to humiliate Vince some more! Austin got one of the biggest pops of the year for his appearances. He got a huge "AUSTIN" chant. Stone Cold talked about being proud of Vince for 15 years and most of the entire promo was funny. Just as Vince was taking a sip of his beer, STUNNER!!! Austin said the greatest Superstar of RAW wasn't in the ring. He said the said the Greatest Superstars were all of the fans and that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so! Austin brought out all of the Superstars to have a beer bash with Stone Cold. Funny part was CM Punk was one of the first ones out and we all know he doesn't drink. This was a cool sight to see with all of the Superstars coming down and playing around with each other. Vince tried to get back in the ring and Austin knocked him off. They all poured beer on Vince to end the show. Damn good show!
I give this RAW:
4 out of 4 ring posts
"RAW is Blogged" Match of the WeekWrestlemania 19The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Wrestling AutismRAW – LIVE! – Mondays at 9PM on USAArmageddon – December 16 – 8PM – Only on PPV!
