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WWE Raw Reax #2: "Most importantly, the longest running unbeaten streak in wrestling today was finally ended."
Apr 22, 2008 - 1:15:37 PM |
A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (4.0) Best match: C.M. Punk vs. Matt Hardy; Worst match: Hornswoggle vs. William Regal. When the show is off from its usual humor, action, and easy-to-follow storylines, it's harder to make excuses as to why you're a wrestling fan. But, at least I can still make excuses for the show. Yes, the Clintons vs. Obama match was awful, but not nearly as bad as The Donald vs. Rosie. Yes, King of the Ring was not nearly as good as it could have been, but at least there were several good matches early on with Matt Hardy, MVP, C.M. Punk, and Y2J. The taped messages were something I wish presidential candidates did more (and should have done back in 2000 when WWE had "Smackdown Your Vote") and it doesn't surprise me the least that McCain was the best. Sure, Clinton and Obama are catering to youth, but neither of them go off the teleprompter as much as McCain, which is perfect for WWE. Raw was confusing as far as storylines go, because I thought C.M. Punk was getting a push, but then he loses to Regal. I thought Regal was a manager that had a one-time match in his home country, but then he goes out and wins King of the Ring. I thought other-Hardy Matt would get some push after returning from injury, but I guess not. I was so annoyed with the show by the 2.5 hour mark that I pretty much ignored the main event - an obvious flaw to having a three-hour show.
Bill Sartori of Windsor Locks, Conn. (1.0): The ONLY reason this clusterf--- gets a +1 in my book was the feature match and that was flawed by the fact that it took 17 minutes for all the wrestlers to get in the ring. Regal as KOTR? Why? The guy is supposed to be the Raw GM. He hasn't been a full time wrestler in years. And for his matches, he beat a dwarf, a cripple, and a guy in his third match. Unless Vince has the idea to return Regal to the ring full time, a la Mamajuana (JBL), and replace Regal as Raw GM with Ric Flair, then Vince just cheapened and degraded one of the few serviceable ideas he's had in years. With three hours to use, why did the WWE settle for just eight guys, one being semi-retired and the other a dwarf? Thank God the Stanley Cup playoffs were on. "HillRod," "What the Barack is cooking"? Sorry,but stick to your day jobs. I thought that the "candidates contest" was mildly amusing. That is until Umaga showed up. As for the finale, why have Edge pin Kane? There's nothing going on there. Again, a golden opportunity to present a first class show and the WWE pulls this colossal stinker.
P. Cali of Hoover, Ala. (7.5): Best Match: C.M. Punk vs Y2J. Worse Match: Khali vs. Finlay. King William Regal was rewarded with this KOTR victory simply because he earned it. Not many wrestling fans can identify with him right now, but that's okay, they will. He has always been a solid worker from his early WCW days and although he has been cast into many comedy roles during his tenure, he has always given 125 percent of himself... Always! Last week he took WWE Champion Randy Orton to his limits in one of the best televised matches of the year to date. Although MVP, Y2J, and C.M. Punk have earned the right to wear the title of KOTR, they each have their own title programs already in play, U.S. Title, Intercontinental Title, and Money in the Bank. The sequence of eliminations proved meaningful because the not so Great Khali was used properly and the opportunity to advance his feud with Big Show arose as a result; Finlay, who has a similar rough style as Regal, was injured, showed compassion and concern for his son during the course of the match which cost him dearly, then was re-injured by a Regal that methodically was planting his seeds for his true heel persona. We must understand that he had to erase the sounds of the thousands of fans in his home country he had cheering him on last week. Most importantly, the longest running unbeaten streak in wrestling today was finally ended (if my memory serves me correctly). Hornswoggle has beaten heels up and down both the Smackdown and Raw rosters and even in the infamous cage match when he got destroyed by JBL, there was no apparent winner or loser. Heck, he didn't even get eliminated from the Royal Rumble, nor did he ever "lose" the Cruiserweight Title. He's been enjoyable in his role, but Regal quickly reminded us that inside the squared circle is a serious, dangerous place to be. As far as the main event, it was exactly what anyone could have predicted. It wasn't bad by any means, just predictable. It makes NO SENSE that each of the presidential candidates read scripted statements and each one of them made references to the Rock rather directly or indirectly. They make the arguments that each of them are out of touch with the people, but it was more apparent that whoever scripted each of their WWE references was the real one that's out of touch. It's also disappointing that just one week ago, the buzz was that it appears the WWE had finally recognized their tag team base and potential but we were not treated to even one regular tag team match in 187 minutes. HBK and Batista have amazing chemistry. It seems that for the first time since Evolution, Batista has finally found his groove and if he plays his cards right and puts as much into his matches as he has in the pre-matches with HBK, his career will have a rebirth and he could legitimately become the most feared heel on all three rosters. Keep in mind that HBK pointed out their physical differences for the first time that I can remember a top tier star exposing themselves like that. I believe he was planting the seeds on something that is soon to come and even if HBK wins at Backlash, I see Batista making an impact that could send HBK on a few week vacation from the ring. Oh yeah, the line of the night goes to fake Bill Clinton, "I did not have illegal contact with that candidate." Classic!
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.
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