WHAT I LIKED:
Rated R Superstar: Or sooooooperstar if you're Tony Chimel. That was great, by the way. Kudos to WWE for that little bit of nostalgia. I also LIKED the mention of Rated RKO. It's a nice little way to tie Edge into the goings-on of WWE today - his small connection to WWE Champion Randy Orton. That was a pretty fun segment ripe with all the insults and praise you'd expect for a WWE Legend coming back. And make no mistake that Edge is indeed a legend. His name will forever be synonymous with things like Tables, Ladders & Chairs and the Money in the Bank. I know Triple H had to play the bad guy, but saying that Edge didn't 'draw a dime' is akin to sacrilege. For a good while, Edge carried the Smackdown brand on his back. It was a nice touch for them to bring Christian into the mix as a ploy to get to Edge, but there's a plot hole there. The Shield must've attacked Christian before Edge even said a word to Triple H. What if Edge was on Triple H's side? What if he thought, like me, that what Triple H is doing is best for business? Then Christian would've been beat down for nothing.
Ziggler vs Wyatt: This is a matchup that I didn't know I wanted to see so much. I already LOVE it because this should finally be the match where we get to see Wyatt perform for a length of time. And no sooner do I complete the previous sentence does WWE awkwardly cut to commercial. And what's the first thing we hear when programming resumes? "Bray Wyatt has been dominating Ziggler through the break." Goddammit. That's what I wanted to see. I still saw enough of this match to appreciate it, but I'm begging for more. I know what Bray Wyatt is capable of and I just want to see it portrayed on RAW like it was on NXT.
Tag Team Turmoil: I LIKE this choice by WWE. I really do. Tag Team Turmoil matches are one of the my favorites that's rarely done by WWE. I'm not a big fan of the 'win in the Pre-Show, face the champions on the PPV' stipulation, but I can deal with it this once. I wonder who will win the match... probably that team at the bottom that was most prominently featured in the graphic. WWE just loves giving away their intentions.
Cesaro vs Santino: Nice to see Santino Marella back, but only if he's coming back to be a wrestler. I'm not exactly begging for a return of the WWE comedy troupe. That extended big swing was fun to see and was definitely a first in WWE. It deserved the applause it received, but maybe not the 'Holy Shit' chant. I'm not sure it takes much strength to pull that off - I was doing that to my brothers at age 10. But it does take a ton of focus on the part of Antonio Cesaro and Santino because if memory serves, it usually had repercussions that involved profuse vomiting. I can't even spin around in my chair at work for too long without feeling queasy. I actually LIKED the upset win by Santino. I know that Cesaro can beat Santino on any day of the week, but this was his big return and he could more than use the win.
Orton vs Goldust: Okay so maybe I'm a little excited to see Goldust back. I think the anticipation of seeing Edge belittled that of Goldust. The vignettes they played throughout the show was a good touch because it reminded me of a lot of things I had forgotten about him. I really wish they had allowed him to have the rivalry with Cody Rhodes that was rumored at last years' Wrestlemania after Cody eliminated Goldust at the Royal Rumble. That would have made this a little more poignant, not to mention it would have made Goldust a bit more relevant. For a guy who has been out of action for a while, Goldust didn't suck near as much as I thought he would. It was actually a pretty competitive match that Randy Orton didn't have to carry. I LIKED it far more than I supposed I would. Compared to the other matches so far tonight, it's actually a MOTN candidate. I didn't think I'd be saying that going in.
Ambrose vs Bryan: This is the matchup that I LIKE most between Daniel Bryan and The Shield. I feel they have similar styles that could compliment each other if they ever had an elongated match.The threat of interference from Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns takes away from what should be an enjoyable match. I would take solace in the fact that Big Show can't interfere, but instead he's yet another distraction. And the worst kind of distraction - a castrated one. Still, I very much enjoyed this match because it's the best wrestler in the company versus the best team in the company. And it was a pretty awesome match despite the distractions.
WHAT I HATED:
Kingston vs Axel: I figured that with the PPV coming up, they'd use this match to make Curtis Axel look strong. I mean, defeating someone that previously defeated him would set the stage for him to possibly do the same to CM Punk at Night of Champions. From a storyline POV, that would make since. But what actually happened - Axel losing by DQ and then being taken out by Kofi Kingston - doesn't exactly make me think that the match at NoC will be anything to look forward to. I'm not as thrilled as everyone else is to see Punk get his hands on Heyman. And I'm definitely not looking forward to 'never seeing Heyman again.' I'm a Heyman guy and I want him to stick around. I hope there's something in the works for NoC. I'd appreciate whatever swerve is tossed my way.
Hobbled Heyman: Anything to get a rise, eh Paul? I don't see much reason to insult socialized medicine or the Canadian Health System. After all, their health system actually works for their citizens as opposed to the United States. Also, what a weak way to fake an injury. Slipping on water in the hallway? Really? Especially when it would've been easier to have interfered in Curtis Axel's earlier match and feign injury from said interference. It'd be much more believable because it'd have be seen by all. And it would've saved us all from this boring and totally unnecessary segment. Not even CM Punk could save this, but I appreciate him trying. I do have to credit WWE for allowing Dr. Sampson to bask in the spotlight after he saved Jerry Lawler's life the last time they were in Canada.
Six-Diva Tag: It's the match I'm reviewing, so I have to give this a HATE. But dammit did I enjoy hearing AJ Lee on commentary. She was a spitfire - totally backing up her pipebomb from a few weeks back. Plus she made a snappy comeback to one of Jerry Lawler's juvenile remarks, which is always a great way to gain my adoration. AJ made me believe that she actually only cares about the Divas Championship. I don't know if she really has the date she won the title tattooed on her neck, but if she does that completely solidifies her in my book as a total wrestler and not a total diva. I was already sweet on her before, but now I think I may be in love.
Truth vs Del Rio: I'm a little surprised to see R-Truth tonight. I remember a few years back he had to stay behind during a trip to Canada due to some issue with his passport. I guess that's all cleared up now, not that I really care. The only good thing about R-Truth being here is that Alberto Del Rio should finally win a non-title match. Thanks to the Canadian crowd for pulling out 'Undertaker' chants for no reason whatsoever. I wouldn't have minded if this match went longer just to see who else they would've chanted for. Weird that they chanted for JBL and Michael Cole, yet not for Jerry Lawler. Maybe they were afraid it'd be too much and they'd send him back into cardiac arrest. What? Too soon?
Sandow vs Miz: Is it necessary for Damien Sandow to have the handcuffs on the MITB briefcase anymore? Cody Rhodes has been fired - strangely not for theft of personal property - so the contract is safe. Maybe he's worried about Dustin Rhodes. Kleptomania might be genetic. I didn't care about this match. The Canadian fans didn't care about this match. WWE didn't care about this match either That's why they sent Fandango out there to interrupt. The crowd loved it and will probably continue fandangoing for the rest of the program. If nothing else, it did at least finally give Damien Sandow a win.
RVD vs Ryback: Seriously, are there no other RVD shirts for Ricardo Rodriguez to wear? If he's really RVD's 'Numero Uno Amigo,' he must have at least one other RVD shirt to wear. Maybe he's saving it for Night of Champions. After this match, I doubt Ricardo will be Rob Van Dam's 'Numero Uno Amigo' for too long after he did nothing save his 'Dos Cajones' from Ryback. Speaking of, I have no idea what that attack was all about. You'd think they would try to mak RVD look strong before the PPV, but tonight and Smackdown proved otherwise. Yeah well, I'm not exactly looking forward to this match at NoC anyway.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
"I didn't have to marry into my success." "You're not a dictator, you're just a dick!" - Edge
Okay, Edge won the battle of the insults there. It was much better than Triple H referring to Edge's neck as a 'stack of dimes,' whatever that means. However, I do have to take some umbrage with that first quote. While Edge didn't marry into his success, he sorta did the opposite. If not for his real-life affair with Lita and the epic rivalry with Matt Hardy that followed, his career wouldn't have been the same. I reckon it wouldn't have been near as successful as it was. And how miffed was Triple H that he didn't cut Edge off soon enough before he dropped the D-bomb? The Rated R Superstar lives up to his name. I love it!
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: For completely taking my by surprise, I have to give MOTN honors to Randy Orton vs Goldust. The Toronto fans were wrong to chant that Goldust 'still got it,' because he never had it. But he did well tonight.
BEST IN SHOW: Even though he was only limited to the first 15 minutes of the show, I award this to the returning Edge who was clearly the best part of the show tonight. I expect him to do more than he did tonight on Smackdown and I'm looking forward to seeing him again.
REACTION: Tonight wasn't one of the nights that Monday Night Football will interfere with Monday Night RAW, at least not for me. The first game tonight is Philadelphia versus Washington. Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I'd rather watch the entire stadium explode than to watch that game. I don't care who wins or losses. And the second game does involve a team I have interest in - the Houston Texans - but I don't think they'll have too tough a task on their hands facing the San Diego Chargers. I'll settle for watching the last half of that game.
I wish they'd waited until after the PPV to bring in Goldust to fight for Cody Rhodes' job. It was a good move and I liked the match enough to make it the Match of the Night, but it muddled up the main storyline between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. It seemed like Orton completely overlooked the threat of Goldust since he was more concerned with Bryan and Edge. Having Edge there was not a mistake, however. Having Edge there can never be a mistake. But Edge also overshadowed Goldust and the double-booking didn't seem to help either of them. In the end, Triple H still came out on top of them both.
It was a good idea to finally allow Daniel Bryan and Big Show to have the last laugh over Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Randy Orton. I was starting to get tired of them always being on the losing side. I still hold firm to the belief that it isn't time for the protagonists to defeat the antagonists, but a small victory here and there is warranted. However, WWE has a long-standing trend of whomever wins on RAW before the PPV usually loses at the PPV itself. That doesn't bode well for Daniel Bryan or anyone else opposed to the Regime or the Administration or the New Corporation. Can a brother get an actual name for this stable so I can stop coming up with names on my own? It's awkward.
No comments:
Post a Comment