Raw 1000! What more is there to say? I was excited for it, and I’m excited with what’s to come in the future now that it’s over! Let’s get down to business!
Vince McMahon comes out and thanks the fans. He introduces DX. Shawn and Hunter come out, and they introduce the rest of DX: X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn. DX cuts their old school promos. Damien Sandow interrupts. Sandow ends up on the receiving end of sweet chin music and a pedigree. DX celebrates some more after the beatdown.
^There was no better way to open a nostalgic Raw than with these five guys. This was fun, and Damien Sandow should feel honored for being chosen to be a part of it. Who is more polar opposite to stand against DX and cause a scene. Shawn’s humor was the best of this segment, but it was really great to see the band back together.
Sheamus, Sin Cara, and Rey Mysterio defeat Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, and Alberto Del Rio in a six man tag. Sheamus pins Jericho when Ziggler turns on Jericho and causes him to receive a brogue kick. Jim Ross was introduced before the match and did commentary. He left after the match.
^This was short, and I wish JR had stuck around longer, but it was still a kickass match alongside a good storyline enhancer for Jericho and Ziggler. Their potential Summerslam match will be a show stealer without a doubt. Del Rio and Rey Mysterio will probably have a match as well. I like the storyline setups here.
Charlie Sheen talks with Cole and Lawler via skype. He quit twitter a few weeks ago.
AJ is backstage with Layla and it’s brought up that WWE is unstable. Jim Duggan, R-Truth, and Roddy Piper all make an appearance. The hand that Mae Young gave birth to also shows up and introduces himself.
^As ridiculous as the storyline was back in the day with Mae Young and Mark Henry, it’s beyond hilarious that they brought back the hand for this historic show. I really got a kick out of this segment.
Brodus Clay squashes Jack Swagger in under thirty seconds. He has Dude Love in his corner and they dance after the match. Foley applies the rainbow socko to Swagger.
^Anybody know when Foley is going to wrestle a match and put someone over? I love Foley and his gimmicks, but this Brodus squash could’ve been changed to a backstage dancing segment and saved Jack Swagger the horrible booking.
Triple H and Trish Stratus have a rekindling moment of an old storyline backstage when DX walks in on them. DX leaves but X-Pac hits on Trish and she rejects him.
^X-Pac is a sad individual. I’ve heard and read various things about him and the way he conducts himself on the independent circuit. It’s less than impressive to listen to the guy talk. He was a great performer in the ring for a long time, but his personality is less than stellar. On a brighter note, it was great to have an appearance from Trish Stratus!
Daniel Bryan is shown talking to guys who look like they work for the asylum.
^I believed this was trick foreshadowing for what DBry had planned for AJ after they were wed.
Slick is introduced to Marry AJ and DBry. AJ says yes to DBry, but then tells him she is saying yes to someone else’s proposal. Vince McMahon comes out and announces that AJ is the new GM of Raw.
^Twists and turns everywhere. Someone in the higher ranks of WWE must really be impressed by AJ in order to put her in the spotlight so consistently. I like the possiblities of this decision. I also like the crashed wedding angle; it was fun to see DBry destroy things.
Daniel Bryan stays in the ring and CM Punk comes out to make fun of him. The Rock comes out and ends up laying Bryan out with a Rock Bottom, but not before he announces that he will challenge for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble. He wishes Punk good luck in his match with Cena tonight.
^The Rock automatically gets a title shot just for being the Rock? Great. I’m a little surprised that WWE has decided to plan a Rumble match this far in advance, and I’m annoyed that long term plans for the Rock are a priority but the main roster has to go week to week not knowing how they’ll be scripted next. There isn’t a good amount of foundation to the logic that WWE seems to offer out.
Bret Hart comes out to be the ring announcer for the IC Title match. He puts over his rivalry with Mr. Perfect and then introduces the Miz and Christian. Miz defeats Christian to become the new IC Champion.
^I read in a few places that people felt Christian’s reign as IC Champion wasn’t very good. What more can you ask of this guy? He returned, went face, wasn’t booked much, and defeated Cody Rhodes multiple times since May. However, his matches with Rhodes were very good(though numerous), and I feel like the blame lies with WWE Creative for how he’s been booked. I’m happy to see the Miz as the new champion, and I like the prestige that I feel is being brought back to the IC Title scene. The Miz will work solid matches with a title and hopefully be booked in some great rivalries from here on out.
Charlie Sheen is shown on skype again and makes fun of DBry.
Triple H comes out for his answer from Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman comes out. He tells Triple H no to the match at Summerslam. Heyman and Triple H exchange words. Stephanie McMahon comes out. She destroys Heyman verbally until he accepts the challenge on Lesnar’s behalf. Stephanie attacks Heyman and this brings out Brock Lesnar. Lesnar and Triple H brawl until Hunter gets the upper hand and throws Lesnar out of the ring.
^This was a surprisingly awesome segment. Hunter looks to be in great shape, and Brock looks to be in far better shape than the last time we saw him. Stephanie and Heyman made this segment far more entertaining, but the physicality between Triple H and Lesnar makes me believe that these two might actually have a really good wrestling match at Summerslam.
The Steve Austin/Vince McMahon feud is highlighted in a video package.
^This is quite possibly the greatest non-wrestling feud in the history of WWE, and all it gets is a video package? I’m disgusted. I understand prior engagements and whatever else, but how do you go forward with your 1000th episode of a tv show without perhaps the most popular star of all time making an appearance? McMahon should’ve tried harder with this one, and so should’ve Austin.
Lita answers Heath Slater’s open challenge with the help from the APA and ALL the legends that we’ve seen on Raw and Smackdown over the past several weeks.
^This was a feel good segment, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a bit weird seeing the legends today after watching them over the years, but it definitely made for a nice blast from the past. Also, I’d like to give props to Heath Slater for handling his gimmick so well and running with it. This is a guy that knows how to make the best of a situation when it’s handed to him and it’s impressive to see that sort of company guy in a jobber role today. Who said jobbers can’t be entertaining?
Daniel Bryan is interviewed by old school announcer Sean Mooney. Bryan talks about how he would slap Charlie Sheen in the face if he were here right now.
Zack Ryder tells John Cena backstage that Gene Okerlund was behind GTV(the hidden black and white camera segments that caused drama during the attitude era). Okerlund says he was working somewhere else(WCW) at the time. The Rock walks up and talks to Cena. They talk about the Rumble and Cena says he will be facing the Rock for the title. Rock says he would like nothing more.
^The Rock and Cena part two? No! No! No! As for GTV, I like the followup to the old storylines that were never mentioned again.
Kane comes out. Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Hunico, and Camacho interrupt. They are angry about not being on Raw more often and they surround the ring. Undertaker’s music hits and he comes to the ring. The brothers of destruction fend off the heels and stand tall for the crowd.
^I was half expecting a twist here with Kane attacking Undertaker. WWE did a lot to make this show completely unpredictable and this was one segment where I was certain something was going to happen and it didn’t. Nice to see the heels of the lower card make an appearance. All of the performers could have bright futures if their talent was taken advantage of and showcased more often on the B shows.
Charlie Sheen is shown again via skype and he tells Daniel Bryan that he can find him in LA. Michael Cole hypes that WWE will be in LA for Summerslam.
^It’s no secret that I hate celebrity vs superstar storylines, and this one probably won’t be an exception. Daniel Bryan is far too talented to be wasting storyline time on Charlie Sheen when he could be wrestling an epic Summerslam match with almost anyone on the roster.
Big Show causes CM Punk to be disqualified in the WWE Title match against John Cena when he interferes to stop Cena from winning the title. Punk doesn’t immediately stop Show from attacking Cena but the Rock runs down for the save. Punk leaves the ring but jumps back in and clotheslines the Rock before he can land the people’s elbow on Big Show. Punk attacks the Rock with the GTS and then walks out of the stunned arena as the show goes off the air.
^First of all, no MITB match should end with a DQ. Second of all, Big Show is a horrible choice to be involved in the WWE Title picture with Punk and Cena. I like the Rock’s involvement with this storyline, and I hope we see him at least three or four more times on the show before the Rumble in January. I feel like the Rock didn’t act larger than life like he did the last time he was around, and I feel like we were watching the Rock of old and not the movie star that just pops in from time to time. Now to address the issue of CM Punk. Did Punk turn heel tonight? Is that the big shocking storyline that started here? Yes, he did. You can start arguing anti-face all you want, but to me there’s only heels and faces. Even during the attitude era, you could always pick someone out as a heel or face(it might have changed frequently for some, but you could ALWAYS pick good or bad for someone’s character). CM Punk is now the heel. The WWE wants fans to cheer for Cena in a new rivalry with CM Punk. I assume most fans will still cheer for Punk. I’m cheering for a quality wrestling match between the two at Summerslam, and I’m cheering for Big Show to not be involved. Great ending to Raw.
I wasn’t expecting a lot of wrestling, but we were given a fair amount compared to what I thought would happen. The show was solid. Something was missing though, and his name is Cody Rhodes. I’m expecting two things to happen on Smackdown. First, I’m expecting the GM situation to be addressed. Second, I’m expecting Cody Rhodes to the become the number one contender for the World Title. Again, I was happy with how the show turned out and I like the amount of effort WWE put into the writing to keep the important storylines as unpredictable as possible. I don’t think many people saw the AJ twist coming, and I don’t think many expected Punk to take a heel turn so soon. I like both moves, and I’m excited for what’s to come! Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!
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